Cross My Heart
by xXxPhoenixXxRisingxXx
Summary: He knew who I was. I didn't even know. He holds something over me, some power I can't describe. He is my captor, but I know in my heart I cannot hate him. "Don't forget me." "I won't." "Promise?" "Cross my heart.". Axel/OC. The Truth About Axel...
1. Prologue

Prologue:

_Flashing images, too blinding, too fleeting to grasp swirl around in a restless kaleidoscope of color. A low melody plays, so soft and delicate it blurs away in wispy echoes. Voices, tranquil and reserved at first, escalade into a cacophony, a frightening crescendo of fierce roars and agonized wails. _

"_There is nothing left for me… but to accept my fate…"_

"_There's nothing like the sound of clumsiness to wake ya up in the morning…"_

"_I wish… I wish I didn't…"_

"_That will never change… I promise."_

"_Clever or foolish… with you I'll never know."_

"_Can it really be like this? Forever?"_

"_You were born for this."_

"_Worthless!"_

"_The only thing I know is that someday always comes too late."_

"_There is nothing wrong with me!"_

"_There's no time!"_

"_Ungrateful little vermin!"_

"_Don't forget me!"_

"_I promise…"_

"_Don't lie to me!"_

"_Cross my heart."_


	2. Stirring

Chapter One: Stirring

A hair-raising cry tore me from my sleep, so ghastly it sent shivers down my spine. Gasping, cold sweat running down my temples, I heaved several shaky breaths before realizing it had been my own. My sheets were a bundle of twists and wrinkles around me and I struggled to make it to my bedside lamp. Flicking the switch I steadied my pulse, which was no small feat considering it was racing at a rate of a speeding trolley. I gulped and clasped my clammy hands together to halt the jitters that racked up and down my arms.

"What a nightmare." I felt my lips whisper, the words rushed and sloppy. "What was that all about?"

But no matter how I wracked my thoughts, backtracking and looping, I could not remember anything but voices, the ones that never made sense. The same voices I have heard since before I can remember; which, for some reason, isn't too far back.

"Aylee?" Someone knocked on my bedroom door forcefully with urgency in their tone. "Aylee? Is something wrong? I heard screaming."

"Yeah," I called, hearing the door creak open, "Trixa, I fine."

"Just checking…" She glanced around the room, her amber brown eyes scanning in their analytical way. "Want some company?"

"Thanks, but I'm alright." I shook my head, my long midnight locks flooding my vision. "I promise."

My last words hung on my lips, igniting a faint burning in my psyche, but easily ignored.

"Okay then…" Trixa said halfheartedly, her face crestfallen as she shuffled out of my room.

Trixa may have been my roommate and my closest friend, but even she could never know about the voices. Nobody else ever spoke of voices in the dark, so why should I let everyone know that I'm likely insane? When the door had finally clicked shut firmly I slumped back into my sheets in with a heaving sigh. The sun had barely encroached upon the upper skyline of Twilight Town and still I could hardly find reason to slumber any further.

Taking a deep breath, I swung my legs over the edge of my bed and struggled to my feet in a daze. Fumbling through my drawers I found my favorite white skirt and icy blue laced tank top that mirrored my eyes. From under my shirt I tugged out the charm on the end of my necklace, a pair of faded metal hearts entangled together, strung on a silver chain. I had been wearing it when they found me.

The summer was still aflame and already the heat was seeping through my walls, entangling itself in my shoulder length hair, the neonate sunlight revealing natural tints of cobalt blue shimmering in my slight tresses.

Hours later I was stories below my apartment, folding clothes that customers had forgotten they had muddled up when perusing Trixa's grandparent's store. A green turtle neck was covered in dust balls from lying on the floor all night and I bent down to retrieve it. Green, I wondered to myself while fingering the warm fragile material, not just any old green but the acidy green that makes your heart race. Shaking my head and sighing, I wondered if the voices in my head at night were the only oddities about me.

"Up already?" Rimina, Trixa's grandmother smiled pleasantly, sweeping the old straw broom across the brick floor.

"Couldn't sleep." I replied, setting the green sweater down and gently taking the broom for myself to finish up the floors.

"Again?" She tilted her head to the side in the same fashion as her granddaughter.

"How did you know?" I chuckled, gracefully masking my anxiety.

Rimina just smiled and hummed while rummaging through the register, preparing for the day of sun soaked tourists and friendly regulars. Soon after, Trixa came bounding down the stairs with her auburn red hair tumbling down her back with each playful bounce. I just stood there and imagined what it would be like to run around as carefree as her. Not that I had many worries, I just simply could not conjure enough energy in my whole body that could match the vigor that Trixa could muster in one little finger. She was lightening, frantic but joyful. I was the rain, forlorn but steady.

"Hey, look sharp there Lee!" Trixa called sending a jumble of color sailing towards my head.

"Waugh!" I cried, catching the bundle of socks, setting them down on the slate counter and neatly separating them out.

"I mean it Lee," Trixa said, her voice sounding imploring, "You look like a zombie today. Thank goodness we're going out tomorrow tonight!"

"We are?" I shook my head in confusion.

"Of course! Rafner's party is only the most craziest summer bash of the year!" Trixa exclaimed so fervently I couldn't help but grin. "You… might need a nap or two…"

"I'm _fine!_" I pressed, shoving the last pair of glittery socks away. "Would everyone stop worrying about me?"

"Sheesh, easy there tiger!" Trixa screwed her face up in a mess of crooked lips and scrunched nose, making me laugh so hard my head began to throb.

_Easy there spitfire…_

"Aylee!" Trixa was shaking me out of a dark stupor; I was doubled over, my hands clasped to my head in agony.

"It's nothing…" I forced a smile through the ebbing pangs. "Just a head rush I guess."

"I guess…" Trixa shrugged, retreating to the back of the shop for more stockings.

The sun poked through the shutters as dazed tourists filed in and out all morning, eyes wide and hands, stained blue with sea salt ice cream, at their sides so not to muck up the merchandise. Heat waves rolled in and out and our mighty little counter fan was no match for the stifling weather.

Sweat dripped down my temple and my slick palms caused my work to become laboriously slow. I wrote up invoice after invoice until my cramped fingers were too stiff to move. The intensity of the heat and the booming voices of the customers proved to be too much at once, and so with a wave to Rimina, I stumbled out the door and into the heart of the town's plaza.

The open air was a refreshing change from the stuffy shop and I happily made my way down the street, waving at a few fellow shop keeps along my way. I spent my day filing in and out of shops, chatting with people and gathering groceries in my pack for dinner that night. The haze of the morning seemed to melt off of me as the eternal glimmer of twilight that enraptured the town rent my skin aglow with warmth.

_Not the glaring, searing heat, but the kind that comforts and envelopes you when you sit in the afternoon sunlight, stretched out like some fat cat…_

"Alright there, Lee?" Came a patronizing sneer accompanied with a chorus of cackling snickers.

A hand gripped my arm and hauled me up off the ground and roughly to my feet. Shaking my head, a flash of red overcame my vision and I had to blink rapidly. The sight that met me was not one I had expected or received gratefully.

There, staring down at me with his silver eyes full of dark teasing was Rafner, his gang of Neanderthals at his heels. Glaring, I backed up but to my dismay my backside came upon a smooth stone wall. No, I thought, it's the middle of the day in the heart of town; he wouldn't dare pull something here.

"Shove off, Rafner." I muttered, my racing heart betraying me.

"Aw, c'mon Aylee," He swung his face in front of mine tauntingly. "Just admit it; you were looking for me anyways."

His gang of puppets must have felt their strings pulling them because their fit of laughter was a bit delayed this time.

"I said, shove off." I ground my teeth, feeling his huffing laughter on my face.

"No," He bit his lip in what he must have thought was an irresistible move, "I don't think I-"

"_You're beautiful, you know that?" _

"_But, everything beautiful is also dangerous…"_

My fist, in an involuntary burst of energy, collided with his jaw so hard I felt my knuckles pop audibly. Rafner stared at me for a half moment, still dazed and calculating; then he spun around howling to his crew. Unsure of what to do, the Neanderthals gazed around at one another, hands raised for action. Taking this chance, I bolted from around them with fox like grace and sprinted towards the sandlot.

"Get her!" I heard Rafner's teary voice roar from behind me, fueling my fervent strides.

I saw the usual kids playing struggle in the lot, Hayner the hothead, Pence the sweetheart and Olette the one who always worked in Rimina's on the weekends to earn shopping money. They waved to me but I was too busy running for my life to even smile. Up the alleyways I pressed on, hearing the angry gang's heavy footfalls and thunderous yells at my heels.

The train station was my only hope, as I willed my sore feet up the stairs and past someone who held the door open for me politely.

"Thank you!" I called over my shoulder.

"Hope you catch your train!" The man called back amiably, confused as to my dilemma.

In a panic, I let myself race up the winding staircases to the top of the clock tower, certain that if the boys did find her, they would be too lazy to make the herculean effort to pursue up all these steps. Sneaking out the door to the clock tower balcony, I let it click shut behind me as I sank to the ground.

I heard shouts down below at Station Heights and felt my heart give a start. But they died down soon enough and I sighed gratefully.

"I wonder who those clowns were looking for." One of the voices in my head announced.

My hands flew to my forehead, bracing for another wave of pain, but it never came. Curious, I stood slowly and shifted my feet closer to the corner of the building to where the front balcony of the tower overlooked the entire town. It was one of my more favored voices, the low rumble and velvety smooth flow of it. I heard a soft crunch and froze, too frightened to move. But the crunches continued and my pulse ebbed to a steady rhythm.

"H-hello?" I called, not wanting to scare the poor person off the side of the building. "Anyone up here?"

The crunches immediately ceased, the sound of someone hurriedly getting to their feet resounding.

"Wait!" I called, rushing around the corner, ready to grab whoever it was before they fell. "I didn't mean to scare-!"

My eyes grew wide as the remainder of a black gloved hand melted into a rising plume of darkness. The kind of darkness that stirs fear in your heart in the dead of night pooled across the balcony from me, its tentacles swirling in the air. Then, with a warping buzz, it collapsed on itself, disappearing into thin air.

"What-?" I said, frozen to the bone and terrified out of my mind.

Glancing down, I bent over to find a half eaten ice cream at my feet, its sky blue color pooling around itself, melting fast in the summer sun. Taking the unsoiled edge of the stick in my fingertips, I watched the remains of the ice cream slide off to reveal the word **WINNER** spelled in bold print across the dainty wooden thing.

"Winner of what?" I wondered aloud, sinking to a comfortable spot on the edge of the tower to ponder.

The bells clanged overhead and a flustered flock of pigeons scattered above and flew towards the setting sun. Sitting alone I watched the sun set and pulled my pack onto my lap, unzipping it. Even noticeably isolated, I couldn't help but fell the itch of someone watching my every move. So, standing and slinging my pack over my shoulder, I left a small wrapped ice cream that I was meaning to give to Trixa, but I felt that whoever I scared would want it more.

"Sorry I bothered you." I said remorsefully, not sure if whoever was watching could hear.

Unbeknownst to me, moments after I left, a man, cloaked in darkness, stood alone on the balcony, bending to pick up the offering. Under his hood his lips turned up in a smile and where his heart would be he began to feel a tangible heat began to flare.

"Elexya."


	3. Shadows

Chapter Two: Shadows

_I stare at my hands clasped so tightly around the delicate stem, perfumed petals brushing my parted lips like silk over velvet. With each deep breath I take I feel currents of anger and frustration giving way to waves of calm and benevolence. But above all, confusion reined most high. _

_My very own, living rose._

_The scent of cinnamon and charred embers filled my senses and made my every bone ache. A sharp sting rises to my eyes and a flood of tears burst forth silently. An urge to crumple the tragically beautiful rose and fling its remains over the balcony then and there overcame me, but somehow it only makes me clutch it more protectively to my breast. _

_It had appeared upon my balcony railing like a ruby red apparition and not a trace of its owner remained. Just the scent of sharp spices and blackened chimneys enveloped the flower. _

"_Princess! Come inside your highness, before you catch cold! No need to worry your betrothed!"_

_I ground my teeth and slipped the rose soundlessly into pocket Cissa had cleverly sewn into the folds of my skirts. _

"_I'm coming!"_

"I'm coming!" I hollered, scrambling to throw on my beachwear, my arms tangled in the straps of my tank top. I wound up hopping around my room in a graceless one-footed jig until I had backed myself up and ran right into my bed. Collapsing in a heap of inside out clothing and untied shoes, I tried fruitlessly to shake myself out of my hazy stupor. After a half day's work I was more than ready to soak up a few rays at the beach with my best friend.

"Hurry up!" Trixa banged on my door with her fist, the wood groaning in protest. "I don't want those tacky tourists taking our spots by the snack shack today!"

"Yeah, wouldn't wanna miss out on the cute snack shack boy action." I mumbled low so she wouldn't hear.

"What?!" Too late.

"_Nothing!_" I called in a fulsome, sing-song voice.

"Yeah yeah yeah…" She grumbled as I stumbled out of my room with my white Capri's hanging dangerously low on my hips and a baby blue lace trimmed tank over my sea foam green bikini. Trixa never bothered with modesty, her red and white polka dot bikini was only obscured by a pair of super skin tight shorts. I smiled and grabbed the basket of towels and ice cream from her hands.

We walked, laughing and chatting over who was the cutest snack shack worker along the trolley tracks, making our way through town to the ocean. A minute pang in the back of my skull trilled a few times with each step over the sun baked bricks and it began to develop into a sharp throb of pain that grew with each move I made. I tried to hide it, what with Trixa's solicitous nature, but soon enough the combination of my teeth grinding and my lagging footfalls caught her fox like eyes.

"Something's wrong." She denoted, pausing to grab my forearm.

"It's nothing." I ground out through my clenched jaw. "Let's just go."

"Don't say that," She clucked her tongue.

"_Don't say that!"_

"Ah!" I moaned, clutching my forehead. "Just- just go ahead without me. I'll be fine, just… need to go get something to drink."

"Are you sure?" She asked skeptically, raising her eyebrows comically.

"Yeah, go." I turned on my heels, handing her the basket and waving her away.

Already as I stumbled back up the tracks towards the shop my head began to swim back to negligible amounts of pain. The brightly painted sign for Rimina's came into view and I let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Forget something Aylee?" Rimina asked worriedly as the pain nearly blinded me at the door.

"No, just need some… fresh…air." I managed as I continued blindly down the street, past the shops and down the trolley tracks.

A shrill sound hissed around me, from what direction I didn't know. All I knew was the blur of mist that surrounded me and the waves of churning agony that pounded the shores of my psyche.

"Watch out Lee!"

Someone screamed at me, Rimina, and a hand yanked me out of the path of the steaming trolley as it blew past, so close I felt the heat of the engine upon my skin.

"What?" I glanced to my savior, only to find empty space.

My only indicator was the cool breeze that led me away from the pain, towards clearer blurs of the town, towards the old woods. Through the crumbled hole in the town's wall I feel a heavenly nosedive in the temperature under the mighty oak trees overhead. The grass is so soft I lean down to take off my sandals when I realize my pains have dissipated. Poof, just like that. Gone.

Rubbing my head, I wondered how it could feel as if no pain had even existed, only peaceful, cool bliss. Below me, little white wildflowers bloomed in a tangle of creeping vines. Bending down, I blinked and sniffed them. Vanilla. Yet, something told me I was supposed to be somewhere at that moment, but the scent of earth and wildflowers floored me to the ground.

My head snapped up out of instinct I suppose. A loud snap echoed through the wood, noisy and heart stopping. With a cry, I watched as a black figure, no higher than my waist, plumed forth from the earth in a swirl of darkness and took a battle stance, shifting from foot to foot. Reflexively my hands twitched to my…

…_cloak, where I kept my sheath of arrows hidden behind my back, as I summoned my silver blue bow to my left palm. Around me the Shadows emerged, from the cracks of darkness between the buttresses, behind the whispery shower of the fountains, even the darkest corners of the rose garden they rippled into existence. I shifted to a fighting pose, waiting for movement. The sky was too blackened by the night for vision, but the rustle of footfalls and the whirling grunts they made were enough to position them in my mind._

_With a mighty battle cry, I strung an arrow in the blink of an eye and shot it right through the forehead of a heartless._

"Heartless… Shadows?" I muttered, staring at the tiny blooms of white between my hands that clutched the ground for support.

Having fallen to all fours, I lifted my face to find a myriad of those… Shadows, surrounding me. Their eyes were large orbs of unfeeling electric yellow. Fear gripped my heart as they circled closer, one making a sudden dashing movement. Alone and helpless, I thought of Trixa, laughing on the beach, as I watched the swift image of black claws coming to rip at my flesh. I hung my head in defeat, waiting for impact.

Flying back onto my rump, I felt the burning heat of the fire as the Shadows all simultaneously burst into bright frolicking flames. Watching with wide eyes, I felt a hoarse scream as it hovered at my lips. The Shadows let out shrill cries of agony as the flames dies, each Shadow bursting into wisps of evaporating darkness.

"What?" I felt my lips tremble as I stood shakily. Rubbing my arms up and down with fervent hands, I slowly backed up into the trunk of a massive oak.

Gasping, I whirled around and mentally slapped myself for such idiocy. Whipping my head around, I surveyed the area and only found the woods to be filled with eerie, hushed rustles of the wild grasses. Clutching my sandals tight to my chest, I turned and sprinted towards town, my feet barely touching the grass I moved so swiftly.

'Like an arrow.' I thought to myself, but shook my head incredulously. 'Man, I need help.'

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"There you are!" Trixa called as I swung my sandals into the shoe basket back home. "I've been waiting for hours!"

"What?" I grinned uneasily, trying to ignore the look of solicitation etched into Rimina's aged visage. "I've only been out a few minutes… I thought."

"Think again genius," Trixa rolled her eyes and grabbed my hand, yanking me to the stairs. "The party's in a half hour!"

"Oh!" I must have dallied in the forest far longer than I had thought.

I pondered over this as Trixa fussed over my makeup and dress selection for the evening. She herself wore a stunning sunny yellow ruffled strapless that barely reached her mid thigh. Her sun kissed skin glowed and her orbs of amber shone with pleasure as she fixed and reapplied my eye shadow again and again. Out from her own closet, she returned with several short summer dresses and sprawled them out over my bedspread.

"I think I…" I tapped my lower lip, eliciting a cry of angst from my fussy friend, who reapplied my lipstick once more. "I like this one."

Scooping up a breathtaking silk halter that flowed to the very tops of my knees with fluid ease, I pressed it to my body, savoring the feel of the cool material.

_I had always loved anything soft, thinking deep down it reminded me of the delicate hands my mother had. My nanny had once scolded me for rubbing my face raw with velvet once, but I paid no mind. From this I knew I wanted a husband with soft hands, gentle hands. Or, at least I liked the idea. _

"_Your highness," The new chambermaid complained groggily, "Come out of the open air, you'll get heat stroke!"_

_Hard to have a heat stroke when it's never even warm here, I rolled my eyes and longed to grumble. Cissa never whines. Outside my window the mid morning snow, right on time, was falling gracefully to the kingdom's ground. But between the wailing winds and bracing cold, a rare slit of light almost leaked through the clouds, just a patch of translucent cloud teasing me, and I watched it just before it slipped away, just like that. _

"Hello!" Trixa waved her open palm before my blinking eyes. "Earth to Lee!"

"W-what?" I stuttered, nearly dropping my dress.

"I said…" She took a dramatic breath. "You always pick green!"

Glancing down, I had picked the only green dress she had brought. It was a cross between sea foam and rich emerald, my favorite.

"I can't help it." I thought aloud. "It's like some sort of magnetism I guess."

Shrugging, Trixa slung her purse over her arm and motioned that we leave.

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	4. Blackout

Chapter Three: Blackout

The party was a mess of rowdy teenagers and shy preteens all crowded together in throngs and swaying clusters. Music blared through speakers perched at each corner of Rafner's parent's yard, which was nothing more than a decorated brick patio surrounded by the brick housing, although one side gave a spectacular view of the ocean. At the door, Trixa grabbed me by the hand and together we joined our favorite band of younger kids, Hayner, Pence and Olette.

I think they appreciated the company, as they seemed a bit at loss with all the older teens around. Chinese lanterns of all neon colors imaginable were strung from wall to brick wall overhead and created an outlandish array of Technicolor on the dance floor. Pausing from dancing erratically to the strange rhythm, I gazed at the lights and the faint glow of sunlight still reflecting on the distant waves.

"Like what you see?"

I turned to find Rafner, smug as ever, in a cocky stance at my side. Draping an arm over my shoulders, he grinned maliciously into my face, making me grimace.

"Step off, Rafner." I spat, wondering where on earth my friends had suddenly ventured off to.

"Aw, c'mon Lee," He seethed, gripping my arm tightly with his free hand so tightly I winced in pain. "Dance with me."

"Let go of me!" I hissed, elbowing him in the gut sharply.

"Oof!" He grunted as I slipped away into a stray throng of gangly teens.

Scrambling through, I felt my heart racing, whether it was from the jittery music or the half crazed young man surely brawling his way through the crowd to tear my head off I did not know.

"Whoa, easy there spitfire." I heard distinctly as I ran face first into a heap of black leather.

…_spitfire…_

"What?" I mumbled as two gentle hands, gloved entirely in black, wrapped completely around both my upper arms to steady my equilibrium.

Looking up slowly, I took in a figure, tall and lanky, dressed head to toe in a long black coat and combat boots. Silver chains rested at his chest below where the coat zipped up and try as I might, I could not decipher his face under such a masking black hood. Only an impishly pointed chin poked out at me almost mockingly.

_There was something in his features, elfish and demon-like, and it frightened me. Like his chin, pointed and defiant. And his smirk, it was so sharp I wondered if it would slice the tips of my bold fingers were I to dare run them along his slanted jaw. Were I only so bold…_

"Oh, sorry, excuse me." I muttered, wincing at the dulling pain at my temples.

"Let me help you… Elexya." The hooded man said commandingly, pulling me to one side of the party.

I knew that voice. It was…

…_like embers, seething but subdued. Just one gentle wayward breeze and up the flames would spark, igniting the entire world ablaze. Listening to it was like running your hands along velvet the wrong way, rough but somehow pleasing. The kind of voice you cling to when…_

"My name's Aylee." I snapped my head up, ignoring the pain and stiffening as a pair of Rafner's Neanderthals rushed past blindly. I lowered my tone. "But… my friends call me Lee."

This seemed to freeze the man where he stood. His grip was so tight on my arms I began to flinch involuntarily, causing him to release me. Swaying, I had to catch myself before tumbling to the ground.

"Lee, huh?" He said and I could practically feel his smirk. "Elexya, enough already. It's _me_…"

Furrowing my brows, I backed slowly until my shoulder blades meet the cool brick wall, my hands clenching gently but in a firm stance of defiance.

"Who are you?" I asked in the highest commanding voice I could muster.

"Lexy, there's no time for this." He growled and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Then entire atmosphere was suddenly ablaze with heat. He paused, straightened a bit as he gazed upon my frightened countenance. "You really don't remember me, do you?" He asked, sounding more like a statement. Sweat dotted my temples and I fought not to tremble as he took a daring step forward. "No matter, you're coming with me, Lex."

"I don't know you!" I insisted, slipped away as his hands advanced upon me. "Trixa!"

I scanned the scene desperately as I made my crooked way through the clusters of oblivious partygoers.

"Trixa!" I called out, receiving only a few raised eyebrows and several stares.

That's when the lights went out.

A chorus of shrieks rose in a terrible crescendo. Panic swept the area and I felt a jumble of arms and jostling bodies push past me as the masses took no time in flooding Rafner's house with mutterings of candles and matches.

I stood, frozen to the ground in my fear of such darkness. It was the kind of dark that seeped into your eyes and poisoned your thoughts, making you hysterical and defenseless. Alone and shaking, I took a deep breath of humid ocean air and stood stock still when the all too familiar whir of heartless stirred behind me.

Even in the dark their gruesome yellow eyes glowed like torches, swinging back and forth in their unusual gait. Crying out softly, I spun around as they began to multiply from the shadows. Now my fear was so great tears threatened to leak from my stinging eyes.

Just as a scream of terror tore itself from my throat, the Shadows, poised around me for the kill, burst into luminous showers of flames, dissipating altogether. Breathing raggedly, I felt my knees threaten to give out beneath me. But that was not who I was, I was…

…_my father's daughter, a warrior at heart. Standing in the full length mirror I dared one single tear to drop from my steady eyes. My hands were clasped tight around a cluster of white lilies and red, red roses. To me, my white gown was a suit of precious armor, my bouquet a brilliant silver sword. My hair was swept up into an elegant twist of a bun, although several defiant locks sprang away to frame my polished face. My eyes were cold and hard, a warrior's face. _

"_Princess," Cissa called at the door, so soft, full of tears, "It's time."_

"_I know." I nodded, reaching to the table to grab my veil, which I fit into my hairline._

_With one last look, not vain but wistful, I turned on my heels and faced my battleground._

"They'll keep coming, Elexya."

My eyes flickered back to reality as a tiny flame danced before my vision. Backing away swiftly, I glanced up to find the stranger in black, luminated by the fire, gazing down at me, or at least I assumed he was under his hood. And the flame… it danced…

…_in his hands, like a child's toy he had wound up to show off. Below from my place at my father's side, I watched the fire eater as he let the flames rise in his grasp, the heat tickling my face even from here. When he was sure he had everyone on their toes, he snapped with two fingers and the flickering flame leaped from his palm to his lips in one fluid movement. Taking a mighty breath, the fire eater blew the small flame into a violent plume of fire. I heard the roar of the flames; it sent shivers down my spine._

_Taken aback, the court sent up a chorus of cries. Even my father gave a start with his shoulder under my left fingertips. But not me, I stood defiantly as he shot his great dance of fire so close the smoke blocked my vision. _

_When the smoke and the flames had died down, the fire eater was not dancing, but staring._

_Directly at me._

_No one, not even the chancellor, dared look me directly in the eyes for so much as a passing glance. But those eyes, those smoldering orbs of stunning emerald beheld mine as if all time had stood still. I dared not move, as my own act of defiance. He noticed this, to my pleasure, and his lips curled up in a devious smirk._

_With one last huff of breath before turning his back and waltzing out of the silent ballroom, he gave his full attention to me._

_What came forth was one last puff of char black smoke, so petite only my own eyes perceived its shape before it dissipated upon my nose._

_It was a heart._

My hands were immediately at my temples, squeezing the pain away violently. Whimpering, I felt a foreign heat rise to my face. There was the flame, flickering at my side in the hands of the strange man. I tried to think back to my vision, but the fire eater's face would not surface right. Even then I knew it had been the stranger.

"You…" I whispered, too agonized to form a full functioning sentence. "You're in… in my… visions… and your voice… in my… my… dreams."

He was silent and for a moment I savored the heat of the fire, letting it eat away at the throbbing of my skull. Standing at full attention, I drew back and regarded the stranger.

"Why?" I commanded. "Tell me."

"Now that's the Lexy I remember." He chuckled, the sound of a poker stirring up a gust of flames. "Always so pushy, aren't we Princess?"

"What are you _talking_ about?" I felt my agitation build inside, stronger than any fire.

"Well, if you come with me," He examined his gloved fingertips of his free hand as he spoke offhandedly, manipulatively, "I might know all the answers."

"Lee!" Came a shout from Rafner's open backdoor, where the house was alight with candles.

Both of us snapped our heads up simultaneously, the stranger and me. Seeing this as a chance for escape, I felt the visions could be solved later, in the sunlight.

"You stay away from me!" I hollered over my shoulder to the man while racing to the door.

Reaching a concerned Trixa, I turned back to find the flame extinguished.

"Who were you yelling at?" Trixa asked incredulously.

I shook my head and sighed gratefully. "Nobody."


	5. Forget Me Not

Chapter Four: Forget Me Not

_There were hundreds, no, thousands of them, storming the castle gates, flooding the halls and making quick work of anyone they encountered. A huge warping ink blot on the untouched canvas of the kingdom's walls, I thought to myself dryly in-between slinging arrows and jolting forth into graceful tumbles to avoid their gnarled black claws. Mindless, brainless, heartless! I chanted in my head, gritting my teeth as one swiftly swiped at the hem of my dress, tearing everything from the knees down, including the veil, to shreds. _

"_Thanks." I muttered, stabbing it through the forehead with an arrow. _

_Kicking off my shoes, I could now run without the haphazard wobble in my gait. As the little beast burst into little black tendrils at my feet, I snatched my arrow, sheathing it promptly. No use in wasting any more than need be, I mused resolutely. _

_As I reached the grand hall of the southern wing, a warrior's cry sounded above me, along the left wall. There he was, chakrams clanging against one of the silver heartless' blade-arms. He was hanging halfway off the railing, his face contorted in fury. With a fierce roar, he shoved the creature off and it was rent aflame with his anger. _

_But it wasn't enough. The beast raised a glittering blade above the fire eater's face as he doubled over, his breath uneven and ragged. In the blink of an eye I strung an arrow and sent it, a glimmer of flashing quicksilver, right for the creature's jugular. _

_With a flick of his wrist, the fire eater slumped over, blacked out from exhaustion. The arrow's tip burst into a stream of fire, piercing the beast and extinguishing it on contact. Taking a deep sigh of relief, I froze a moment, when the fire being made no move. _

_I ran for the staircases, screaming all the while. Several Shadows emerged and each met the steel bite of my arrows. I had to reach him, I had to._

"_Lea! LEA!"_

"LEA!"

I was sitting upright in bed, my forehead awash with fat beads of sweat. It had been my own voice, startling me awake. Shaking my head, I loosened my death grip on my sheets and crawled out of bed, begging my conscious to recall what I had hollered so passionately. Sunlight streamed through my windows and I wondered why Trixa had not woken me earlier.

In my closet I drew out my usual green baby doll tank and white skirt, my necklace jingling noisily at my breastbone. My silver shoes were strewn across my floor, making the search for them as exciting as finding them. Opening a window, I let the crisp midmorning air cool my heated face as I could then watch the town stir awake as well.

But instead of a gentle ocean zephyr, my face met a blast of pure, wintry air. With wide eyes and a gasp at my trembling lips, I watched as a runaway snowflake fluttered downwards from the grey skies and kiss the tip of her nose. Startled, I blinked and watched as two more multiplied until the entire town seemed over run with falling snow.

"_How do you live here?" He asked, poking a tuft of snow that had collected on one of the crystal rosebushes. _

_It was too cold to grow real roses, so my father had the idea to create false imitations, crystalline and seemingly perfect in every way. I tentatively stroked the glass petals of one, the reflection of my skin sparkling in the bluish crystal. Even the thorns were strikingly beautiful and when the sun did peer through the blanket of snow clouds once or twice a decade, the entire garden was rent aglow, a spectacular sight indeed. Such a shame I've never seen it…_

"_I was born here." I scoffed, breaking off the fragile flower and tossing it to the white marble path at my feet, watching jadedly as it shattered into a million shards of razor sharp glass._

_He stopped and gave me an incredulous look, as if I had just killed his cat. "What was that for?"_

_But I did not need to answer as a new rose warped into its own perfect existence exactly where the last had been. _

"_I'd give anything," I said, startling him with the sudden emotion in my speech, "just to see the sun. Just once."_

_I turned my face away so he would not see me wiping a stray tear from my eye where it had frozen to my cheek._

I had never seen snow for myself, only in books or on television, and the shock of it dotting my face, melting into thin streams of icy droplets, was enough to give me a heart attack. I watched as it collected in the corners between buildings in fluffy white piles and when the trolley passed, it was dusted with a thin layer of the powdery snow. I could not take my eyes off of it.

Until I thought of Trixa.

"Trixa! Trixa!" I yelled, thundering down the stairs to the shop, creating quite a racket. "Trixa come quick! It's snowing- really snowing!"

I was met with two pairs of identical amber eyes staring at me as if I were a ghost. Dropping a rust brown pair of socks, Trixa folded her hands in that way she does when with strangers she doesn't care for. Rimina cocked her head to one side, clucking her tongue and sweeping the floor as if I weren't there.

"You… must be the new boarder." Trixa smiled anxiously, making me nervous. What was going on? "Must have been some dream you were having."

"Trixa," I furrowed my brows, "I'm serious, look outside!"

Turning around, Trixa nodded to the door, where the sunlight and heat leaked through as it did every morning.

"What?" I gasped. "Where did it go?"

"Maybe you're thirsty. The heat does that sometimes." Trixa said, giving me an uneasy smile. "You know my name… somehow… what's yours?"

Standing there, I felt a giggle or two bubble to my lips and they burst forth like a freight train, leaving Trixa's countenance all the more worrisome. "Trixa! Gosh, it's me, _Aylee_."

I rolled my eyes and sat on one of the counters I usually sat at, giggling uncomfortably.

"We… we've never met before." Trixa smiled politely, but worriedly, like I was some sort of lunatic. "Did you let yourself in last night? I don't remember you showing up."

"We were at Rafner's last night!" I declared frantically, finding this joke a little too drawn out. "You were with me- Trixa,_ this isn't funny!_"

Grabbing her shoulders, I shook her so hard she shoved me back forcefully. Her wide eyes filled with shock as I leaped to the counter, grabbing several photo albums from the shelves. Tearing one open, I scanned through the photos, the days at the beach, school concerts, and our trip to Destiny Islands in sixth grade. They were all there-

"But I'm not." I concluded, my eyes searching in the empty spaces where my profile used to be laughing, shouting, pouting and grinning.

It was as if I had been erased entirely.

"What's happening?" I asked, although Trixa had fled the shop, my voice thick with tears as I pulled each picture out to examine it closely.

Leaving the scattered photos strewn across the counter, I raced out the front door and into the heat of the day. Shop keeps and tourists bustled about, chipper and oblivious. A few waved hello to me, calming my nerves. That is, until they all began introducing themselves.

In a blind flurry of frustration, I turned into Jenkins Jokes and Magic shop, my voice raising several octaves in my anxiety.

"Leroy? Leroy are you in here?" I called, hearing shuffling, scratching noises coming from the back.

"Yes," A scruffy looking old man appeared from behind the curtained doorframe, "How may I help you?"

"Oh, thank goodness," I said, sighing in relief, "Leroy you remember me!"

"Excuse me?" His brow crinkled and my heart sank.

With a cry of despair, I fought not to pull my hair out from my scalp as the all too familiar waves of pain rolled through my skull. Storming out of the shop, I narrowly avoided the steaming trolley, brushing briskly past throngs of tourists, inching towards the hollow in the city's back wall.

Into the woods I ran, fearful that more Shadows would emerge from behind any rock or tree trunk. Across the way, through the brambles and thick trunks, I saw light wander in from a distant clearing and I was drawn to it, much like a moth to a flame.

Blinking in the sunlight, I watched the glimmer of my charm bracelet and cradled it to my breast, mourning the loss of my best friend. Trixa had made the jewelry for me, fashioning it out of sea foam green and ocean blue glass beads, the figure of a glass butterfly strung in the middle where the glass colors swirled together, signifying that we were inseparable. Or, at least, I assumed so.

Dropping my arm, I let my mouth hang open as I took in what seemed to be an old abandoned mansion. It was a faint, rosy color, the paint fading in some edges. Pieces of what was once marble white columns littered the front lawn, from what I could see past a mighty black iron gate bolted with lock about the size of my head.

"Huh?" I spun on my heels as the sound of a Shadow erupting from the ground snapped me to attention.

But it wasn't a Shadow, but a thin waif of a creature, silver and jagged looking. I watched as its mouth, a zipper, opened and it swayed about, like a heartless. Lowering into a battle stance, I wondered how natural this all felt, my hands flying to action. My left hand grappled at my waist until something solid but slender was in my grasp while my right hand reached behind me and felt through a huddle of feathery softness until I found what I was looking for.

With a musical twang, an arrow sailed through the air, piercing the creature through its mouth and out the back of its head. It collapsed in silent agony and I felt my eyes widen as I took in what I had done. In my hand was a long, silver bow with trails of crystal blue carved into the sides. Strapped to my back, I felt with my free hand, was a crystal quiver full of blue feathered arrows at the ready.

"I'm… an archer?" I wondered aloud, my ears twitching as another of the silver beings appeared at my back.

Spinning around, without thought, I strung and released another arrow right into the center of the being. It was instinctive, I found, shooting another round of them as they appeared, like your hand flying to an itch, you barely noticed.

Just when I thought the battle was over, one more sprang up behind me in a warping swirl of darkness. As my arrow shot true at the center of whatever heartless had emerged, it burst into flames, falling to a smoldering crisp at the ground between us.

"Better than I remember, Elexya."

It was him, the stranger, and he was… applauding?

"Stop _calling_ me that!" I snarled, aiming another arrow, biting my lip to keep steady.

"Easy spitfire," He chuckled and raised his hands up in mock surrender, "I mean you no harm."

"Somehow I really doubt that." I said, tensing as he strode forward. "Stop! One more step and I swear I'll shoot you-- right through the heart!"

This only fueled his laughter and he ignored my threats, which I spewed profoundly.

"If you come voluntarily, this won't _have_ to be so messy." He offered, stretching his hand towards my, palm up.

"I said get back-!" I began to shout, but stopped myself involuntarily. "Wait… take off your hood. I… I want to see your face."

He stood there motionless until he let his hand drop to his side. For a moment he regarded me, I supposed as I had no means of telling, and finally I had to solidify my demand.

"If you show me your face…" I tried to think of something but only came up with what I hoped would be a lie. "I'll come with you."

"Promise?" He asked after a lengthy pause.

"Cross my heart." I nodded, dropping my arrow into its quiver and made a little x over my chest.

"_What do you think it will be like? The next life that is." I wondered aloud, watching the remains of the street fair as they set off multitudes of fireworks, or whatever he had called them._

"_Who knows," He answered, making a little noise as he noticed my shoulders shaking in the dim, flickering light, "Maybe we'll see each other then."_

"_Maybe…" I let my mind wander. "I hope we do. Do you think it can be like this? Forever?" _

"_Maybe." He mused, draping an arm around my shoulder, heating me with his exothermic abilities. It was pleasant. Not the glaring, searing heat, but the kind that comforts and envelopes you when you sit in the afternoon sunlight, or at least like someone in the books that I read would, stretched out like some fat cat._

"_I'm sick and tired of maybes." I declared, furrowing my brow. "I'm sick of never knowing what's going to happen someday, you know?"_

"_All I know is that someday always comes too late." He answered cryptically, making me spend the rest of the night wondering what on earth he'd meant._

I was washed from this daydream by the noise of his leather hood falling behind his head, waves of throbbing pain nearly dropping me to my knees. Ignoring the pain- I stopped in my tracks, even forgetting to breathe.

The first thing I noticed was…

…_his eyes, they were a mix of emerald and lime, and they looked as if he were always laughing at something, whether or not you knew why. His face was angular, pointed almost, and certainly handsome. His nose was pointed and his lips thin with a smirk painted on his face. He was tall, nearly a whole head above me, and lanky as waif. Shaking his head a bit, I marveled at his mane of thick red spikes. Not the red you would find in Royu's redish gold hair either, but a more striking red, like blood, or a rose, a real, living red rose. _

_Beside him, was the prince, my betrothed…_

"It's you," I whispered, "From the visions."

"C'mon, a deal's a deal." He offered his hand again.

"Wait," I began frantically, scared for my life, "What's your name?"

He paused a moment, his face hard and his eyes narrowing in what looked like suppressed anger. I could almost feel the heat radiating off his body. "It's Axel. Got it memorized?"

"Axel." I repeated, the name feeling strange on my tongue, as if something were amiss.

"We can talk later, it's time to go." His voice was losing patience rapidly and I backed up into the iron gate.

Just as he grappled for my arm, several Shadows, true Shadows, sprang to life around us. Backing himself into a fighting pose, Axel grit his teeth and growled, visibly irritated at the sudden intrusion. Into his hands two flaming Chakrams spun until they slowed, allowing him to catch them with expert grace.

Slinging an arrow into place, I let it sail with a twang and watched with surfacing delight as the Shadow burst into a slip of dissipating darkness. But, with the exit of one, two more powerful, fully grown Shadows warped. Axel made quick work of the first, only causing more to poof into reality. Grunting, he fought valiantly, causing me to pause for a moment, watching what passion he battled with.

'What are you waiting for?' My mind suddenly countered, 'Run! This is your chance!'

'What about Axel?' I reasoned. 'He could need help.'

'Are you daft?' My mind reeled. 'Get out of here before it's too late! Ol' Smokey here can handle himself.'

With a resolute nod, I took off towards the woods, my bow and nearly empty quiver evaporating within my grasp.

"Elexya!"

Turning, I watched as Axel was Chakram to claws with a grown Shadow, his face twisted in strife. He called to me, emerald eyes wide, and I turned and ran even harder. Through the woods I felt a stab of guilt but shook it off promptly. No use in helping someone who's messing with my life like this, I thought, glancing down at my charm bracelet. Maybe I could jog everyone's memories or something, I thought, there had to be a way to get Trixa to remember me. There _had_ to be!

Back to town I ran, where it was safe and things almost made sense.


	6. Into the Wild

Chapter Five: Into the Wild

It was strange, reacquainting myself with everyone in town and, for once, feeling like a total outsider, a tourist. Trixa welcomed me and gave me a tour of all the streets and back alleys I knew already like the back of my hand. I was given the job I already had alongside Trixa at the store. It gave me a strange sense of déjà vu, like the time they found me, a few years ago.

I was sixteen then. Or, at least, Trixa had been and we seemed the same so they just assumed so. I don't remember much before then only that I was fading in and out of sleep on the floor of a train car, completely alone. No one had ever seen that car before and I didn't know where it had come from, only that Rimina had found me when it pulled into Twilight Town's station. I had been terrified, like some abandoned animal, but Trixa was nice, showing me the ropes around town, taking me in like a sister she had always longed for. 

I worked for Rimina to send myself to private school with Trixa out in the country. We were happy then. We spent summers in Town, much like this. Trixa and I had made a solemn pact, never to move away from each other and, if worse came to worse, we'd never forget each other. 

Now look at us, I thought gloomily as I wiped the counter clean around dusk that day, Trixa doesn't even know me anymore. At least I don't have to deal with Rafner anymore, I brightened a degree or two, he was sent off to the young men's boarding school early.

"You're still up?" Rimina appeared halfway out of the kitchen door, leaning towards were I stood at the counter.

"Yeah, just cleaning a bit." I nodded, trying to put on the act of being a newcomer.

"Well, be sure and get some rest, Aylee." She smiled. "There are sandwiches in the kitchen if you're hungry."

"Thank you."

"Anytime dear."

With that she left up the stairs to her room for the night. I shuffled sleepily, shutting away the cleaning supplies in the utility closet, my eyelids drooping. Giving a great yawn, I pulled up a chair to the counter, pulling out the obscured photo albums for what had to be the sixth time that day. Flipping through the pages, I felt it come on, those pesky little waves of heat that carry one off into sleep.

Without much effort, I leaned forward and found the albums to be a wonderful pillow.

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_I stared across the bench at him, unsure of how to speak, or for that matter, how to move at all. He seemed to acquire that same mentality of awkwardness towards me, as he tugged a few strands of his aqua blue hair from his face. His sharp amber eyes hovered over where my hand rested on the white stone bench and I wondered if he wanted to take it in his. _

"_I…" I began to shatter the silence, acutely aware of the staring eyes of the court as they watched us together. I were as if they wanted us to be miserable and disconnected. "I hope you'll enjoy your stay here."_

"_It's pleasant." He nodded, I noticed the way he bit his lip slightly and I wondered if he noticed the way my fingertips fiddled with the hems of my sleeves. _

"_Do… Do you enjoy… moon gazing?" I asked suddenly, thinking of my handmaid's advice over the prince's curiosity with the moon._

"_Yes," His eyes lit up immensely, staring into mine boldly, "I hear the clouds here only clear at night."_

"_Yes," I nodded, inwardly sighing with relief. Perhaps my husband will be gentle and kind to me if we at least respect one another, and he seems so sincere… "The eastern balcony has the perfect conditions at midnight."_

_I watched the glimmer in his eyes and heard the hushed whispers of disapproval at my reputation for sneaking out when I ought not to. _

"_I-"He began, inching his fingers towards mine._

"_Isa!" _

_Turning, we both watched as the fire eater leaped over one of the rosebush walls, completing the impossibly massive maze with one last elegant spring. _

"_Can you believe this place? A crystal maze? Way too flashy, even for my taste-" He stopped dead in his tracks, his emerald eyes shining as they took in the sight of Isa and I trying fruitlessly to court in front of… well… the court. "Oh, am I interrupting something?"_

"_Indeed you are, Lea." Isa ground his teeth, glaring daggers at his dearest friend for interrupting this moment, bringing even more unnecessary awkwardness into the maze. Somehow I could sense with pure intuition that this was not the only instance that Lea had interrupted a moment Isa ever had with a young woman._

_But Lea was too busy staring at me to acknowledge his disgruntled comrade. Smirking, I knew he was basking in the glow of my heated cheeks. I could not help but notice the way Lea's Eastern style trousers hung low on his hips and the way his poet's shirt, common for performers, hung open slightly, revealing his streamlined, toned chest._

"_Another time then, Lea." Isa growled next to me, his hand, which I had not noticed had taken mine, squeezed mine tight. _

_Lea's gaze finally flashed to Isa, a mix of surfacing smugness turned to a mask of pure frivolity._

"_Yeah, another time, your majesty." He bowed his head in what was almost a mocking fashion. "Princess."_

_I bit the side of my cheek to keep from smiling at his comical face, but the fire enveloping deep in my belly could not be extinguished, not even by the cold hand clasped tight around my own._

"Aylee!"

I muttered in my sleep, the memories slipping in and out of my conscious.

"_Don't mess this up for me, Lea."_

_I froze near the door along the eastern wing, craning my neck closer to hear, holding a hand to my nose and lips to hush my breath._

"_What makes you doubt me, Isa?" Lea's voice, laced with venom, countered._

"_Everything!" I heard Isa snap, he must have been pacing for his voice grew louder and softer in tight intervals. "You take everything I love away! My happiness! My dignity! Even my father likes you more than me! Now, even my bride?"_

"_You don't love her, admit it." Lea was facing towards a crackling fire; I could smell the burning of the wood from my hiding spot in the hall. His voice was strained, soft and regretful. _

"_I don't have to!" Isa roared, slamming his fist on some flat surface. "This is the one time you can't steal someone I want, Lea! The one time!"_

_So that is what this whole mess is about, I thought frantically, Isa is scared Lea will take me away from him. I could imagine Isa as the polite young man, back in the Eastern Kingdom, and Lea, the fiery mysterious stranger who always stole whatever maiden Isa set his eyes on. Well, I thought to myself, I was going to be different. Lea couldn't just win me over with sweet words and that heady scent of cinnamon and ash that drove me crazy…_

"_I'm sorry, Isa." I heard Lea whisper, barely audible over the snap and pop of the flaming logs on the fire. "I will not betray you, I owe everything to you."_

"_Yes, you do." Isa replied, his own voice calm and empty. "Friend…"_

"_Brother." Lea added, his voice brightening a bit._

"_Always." _

"AYLEE!"

I was roughly shaken awake, the scent of ash in my nose now growing into an engulfing blaze of fire. Crying out, I nearly fell off the stool before Trixa wrenched me to my feet. I had no idea she was so strong.

"Wh-What's going on?" I tried, but my throat was hoarse from the heat of the smoke.

"We need to get to the station!" Trixa cried into my ear, although she sounded a million light years away. "There's fire everywhere!"

"Fire!" My thoughts immediately turned to Axel.

No, he was fierce, but not so ruthless as to send the entire town ablaze… Was he?

Gripping Trixa's hand tightly in mine, I raced out the door with her and into the streets of snapping, nipping fire. It was everywhere, in the streets, bursting from every shattered window, even in the farthest reaches of the town. Smoke clouded my vision and I relied on my ears and Trixa's determination to reach the edge of the Tram Common. Past the sandlot we ran, dodging stray pieces of debris that had caught aflame, causing all of Twilight Town to rain fire.

My legs were scratched and burnt as we raced up Market Street, mindful of the neon lights that burst into a million sparks overhead. Sirens were sounding in the distance and we seemed to be the last remaining residents that were fleeing town. At last we reached Central Station, faces blackened with ash and our skin roasting alive.

"Hurry!" Trixa screamed hysterically. "We need to reach the train before it leaves town! Rimina's waiting!"

As I nodded, I paused a moment, my mind flying back to the store, where the box of albums lay, waiting to be incinerated. All those now hollow memories, empty as they were, how could I leave them? They were all I had left.

"Go!" I hollered, my lungs screaming for fresh air.

"What?" Trixa's eyes, red with smoke, widened, her grip on my hand reaching the point of insanity. "No!"

"I'll be okay!" I reasoned.

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart!"

She regarded me a moment, as if deciphering something written sloppily across my face. I saw a brief spark of the old Trixa in her eyes, just before she let my hand go.

"I have to go back! I have to-" I was cut off by her engulfing me in her arms so tight the breath escaped me.

"Come back, Lee." She whispered in my ear, releasing me.

Nodding, I pointed her to the station and took off towards town.

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Coughing, I heaved myself into the groaning, creaking store. The air swayed in the heat, obscuring my vision. Everything was rent aflame, the clothes, the doors, the tables, even the ceiling was nearly giving out. I flew to the counter, scooping the albums up in my arms, burning them I am sure, and I ransacked the counter drawers for Trixa's special box, finding it easily with skilled fingers.

Clutching both items to my breast, I took a deep, woozy breath and screamed as I tore through the flaming door to the outside. Stomping, I quickly stopped the fire that caught on my shoes and headed towards Market Street.

"Ah!" I cried as a huge neon sign tumbled down before me, showering me in electric sparks and uttering blocking my way to Central Station.

Backing up, something caught my vision and I glanced up to find Axel, hooded and solemn, perched high above me on one of the houses.

Inhaling, I screamed up to him, my eyes fierce with hate, praying my furious cries reached his ears. Taking off, I felt his burning gaze on me. I didn't care if he followed, I could destroy him for this. I would destroy him for this.

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Under the cover of the woods, I collapsed with my back resting on a firm tree trunk. Too tired to nurse my wounds, I tore open Trixa's box, tears collecting in my eyes. It was all there, completely untouched, save for the charred box itself of course.

Our gum wrapper necklaces, I smiled, pulling them out. We made them my first year of school here. Gum was outlawed entirely from school, making us want to chew it all the more thrilling. We savored each hidden piece in class and then strung the wrappers into jewelry to show off later after school; our own secret mementos of rebellion.

Next was Trixa's first ever A+ on an English paper. It had frightened me how much I already knew about school and its many subjects when I first arrived, already knowing how to speak in several languages, every algorithm in the math textbooks by heart, and I knew the piano backwards and forwards. Naturally, Trixa sought me as a tutor in her worst class: English. I didn't dare take any credit for her excellent scores once I started helping, I left it all to her.

Placing it back in the box reverently, I next pulled out what I thought I'd never see again. Trixa had sworn she had lost her precious music box yet here it was, shining silver in the slits of sunlight leaking through the branches overhead. It was shaped like a grand piano with a heart carved out in the top. Winding the little lever, I closed my eyes and listened to its sweet, brief melody.

I had found it while we were vacationing in Destiny Islands, in a little touristy store near the beach. Trixa had adored it, winding it and listening again and again. She said it was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. It would be our theme song, she told me, the theme of our friendship.

Tears now fell into the box as I set the little music box away and closed the lid tight. Leaning my head back to the tree, I tried to stop, but could not. Shaking, I held the box close and cried like that for what seemed an eternity.

Without warning, several Shadows emerged around me. Twitching my fingers to where my weapons should be, I found nothing, to my dismay. Gritting my teeth, I stood and held my treasures close to myself.

"Why don't you just leave me alone!?" I screamed viciously, running towards the old mansion for safety.

Into the hazy sunlight I ran, the eternal twilight shadowed by the smoke that engulfed the town. My dry trails of tears had left clean streaks over my ash coated skin, which I wiped at furiously. I heard the sound of more Shadows following me and I looked to the iron gate. It was unlocked!

Taking this chance, I quickly sprinted to it and shut it behind me, much to the chagrin of the Heartless at my heels. Breathing heavily, I tested the durability of the gate with one last shake before fleeing to the last safe place in Twilight Town.


	7. Deal

Chapter Six: Deal

I blinked in the dim light from the cracks in the ceiling and sneezed once in the heavily dusted air. It was unnaturally cold, sending goosebumps up my arms and my knees shaking. Taking tentative steps, I examined what I concluded was the foyer, surrounded from above by wooden railings and closed doors. I set Trixa's box and the albums on a small table at the center of the room, dusting the ash off of each.

"Ready to give up?" An all too familiar voice asked behind me.

Appearing in a swirl of elegant black and purple tendrils was Axel who threw back his hood and smirked.

"Axel…" Instead of what I hoped would be a scowl, a tremor of sorrow shook in my voice.

Letting out a surprised 'Hmm?' Axel narrowed his sparkling eyes and regarded me carefully, like one would observe a dangerous animal.

A low whimper escaped my throat. "How could you?"

A look of defiance spread across his angular features and he crossed his arms.

"I didn't want to have to do all this, really I didn't." He shrugged. "You left me no choice."

"No choice?" I shook with fury, my tears turning from pain to anger. "You waltz into my life, ruin my friend's memories and expect me to go anywhere with you?"

"More or less." He kept a collected countenance. "Now you make it sound way worse than it seems…"

I felt a surge of fury through my veins, but it died down as quickly as it emerged. "I can't believe this."

Axel sighed and ran a gloved hand through his mane of fire truck red spikes agitatedly. "Look, Lex-"

"Aylee!" I snapped.

"Aylee…" He raised his hands as if to calm me down. "Look, I'll make ya a deal. You come with me, no questions asked, and I'll return everything here exactly as it was, no fire, no mess."

For a drawn out moment, I let the silence hang in the air between us. The only sound was the occasional gust of wind through the cracks in the walls, stirring torn and faded tapestries and messing my charcoal black hair. If I went, the town would be saved and everyone's homes and shops back as they should be. But if I ran right then, I could avoid the pyromaniac long enough to reach the station. But what if he catches me, then the town would be forever burned and I would be gone anyways. Say I even made it to the station, where would Trixa and I even go? How could-

"Tick tock, tick tock." Axel waved his finger in warning. "This offer _does_ have an expiration date, you know."

"I-I…" I thought frantically, feeling heat rising to my face. "I'll…"

I glanced at the double doors and bit my lip, my heart racing.

I sighed. "I'll go with you."

"I thought so." He nodded and held out his hand.

Wasn't it enough to submit? Did I really have to move my feet, which were frozen to the ground in fear. With my heart pounding in my ears, I advanced, tentatively taking his hand with trembling fingers, feeling the unnatural heat from him seep into my skin. In spite of everything, I felt myself relax into his touch; it was comforting in a way, familiar.

"Everything will be as it was?" I eyed him closely.

"Everything." He nodded.

"Promise?"

He sighed and began to chuckle. "Cross my heart."

With a flick of his free hand a dark portal flickered into existence and small red flags waved in my mind.

"Wait!" I tugged his hand and tried to reach out to my treasures where on the table they lay.

"You won't need those." He forced me towards the darkness and I struggled harder.

"No!" I cried, bracing my heels into the faded burgundy carpet. "I won't leave without them! Please…"

Releasing my hand, he waited as I gathered my possessions and returned to him obediently. He offered his hand once more but I ignored it, lifting my chin in determination and facing the darkness on my own.

It petrified me. Everything was darkness, the air that flooded my lungs and choked me, the unsteady ground beneath my feet; even my eyes were blinded in a kaleidoscope of purple, blue and black. My body convulsed violently, rejecting the putrid air. Feeling around, I was stricken with terror and became frantic. I held tight to my treasures.

Two hands gripped my upper arms securely and I leaned into whatever warmth they were connected to. The scent of cinnamon and glowing embers filled my senses, clearing the dark air from my lungs. Closing my eyes, I buried my face into something soft but firm.

"Lex, we're here." Axel denoted gently as I felt his chest rumble beside my face.

Backing up, I reddened and didn't even care what he had called me, as long as I was safe and away from that terrible dark feeling.

"Where is here?" I wondered aloud, taking in the foreign surroundings.

Everything was shock white, the walls, the floor, the door in the corner, even the low bed with its strange symbol on the backboard. Out of one window I could see some shapeless thing with a pale golden glow to it hanging in the sky, the rest of the scene pitch black and flooded with a strange orangeish haze passing through. The contrast of white to midnight sky was startling and it took several blinks to adjust.

"This is the World that Never Was." Axel announced after a pause, as if unsure whether or not to reveal so.

"Oh." I nodded, unsure of how to respond.

"Here, you'll need this." He handed me what looked like a coat, identical to his own but smaller, as if to accommodate me.

"Why?" I asked, taking the heavy leather thing in both arms, having to set my treasures on the bed.

"We have a deal," He reminded me, "No questions, got it memorized?"

"Then… Then everything back home is okay now. Right?" I pulled my arms through the sleeves of the coat, savoring the warmth and thinking of all those people on the train.

Axel nodded and leaned down to my height. "You'll be staying with me now so here are the ground rules: One, no leaving this room without my express permission." He began to pace the room, numbering off his fingers and trailing his eyes along the ceiling. "Two, whenever you go out, don't _ever_ forget your coat." I began to feel the weight of the past few days sinking upon my shoulders, all the realities splitting my head. "Three, always wear your hood up." I would probably never see any of my friends again. Not Rimina or Hayner or Pence or Olette. Not even Trixa… I bent my head to hide the oncoming tears. "Four, don't let anyone see your face, ya got all that-?"

He stopped, turning to find me trembling with repressed sobs, tears streaming down my face, dripping off my chin one by one. I stared at the floor and watched as his boots came closer and closer.

"Lexy." He reached out and rested his hand on my shoulder but I flinched away. "Lex, don't cry."

I stood alone as his inhumanly warm hands gripped my shoulders firmly this time. I couldn't stand it, I needed human comfort, and I supposed this would have to do. Rushing forward, I wound my arms tightly around his middle, squeezing my eyes shut and crying into his torso. He made a noise of surprise but placed his hands on by back gently nonetheless. Hiding my face, I could hear his faint breathing, in and out, in and out, and his heartbeat-

-there was none.

"Axel, your heart…" I leaned my head back and gazed up at his stone cold face.

He stiffened and held me at arm's length, his face a mask of emptiness. I knew I must have looked a mess, but then it didn't matter then.

"I have to go," He muttered, releasing me. I almost collapsed to the floor but just stood there, shaking. "Stay put, 'kay?"

"Kay." I managed to croak, watching him leave through the door.

Alone I sat on the bed, wondering if the entire of wherever I was happened to be this pale. Even my skin, which was nearly impossible to tan, had a healthy glow in comparison. Leaning my nose down, I smelled the heady scent of ash in my clothes. Across the room another door stood and I pondered if I should try it.

Turning the knob slowly, as if anything might pop out and destroy me, I tensed with each creak of the door. Relaxing, I found only a bathroom as simple as the bedroom. It was barren, save for a sink, raised bath, toilet and a few shelves along one wall stocked with black pants, black tanks tops, black boots, and black coats. There wasn't another color to be seen.

Standing at the sink, I ran a white linen towel under the faucet and washed my face, starting to recognize the frightened girl in the mirror. Locking the bathroom door and checking it, I stripped down and ran a bath. Strange, I thought, there is only one temperature knob. Running a hand in the water I recoiled and nursed my poor fingertips. It was boiling hot!

I had to wait nearly a half hour till the water cooled to a manageable degree, and even then my skin turned a ghastly shade of deep rosy pink. Finding some soap I made quick work of the ash marks, scrubbing my skin raw. I dunked my head under water and felt every muscle that had been clenched tight up to that point relax in one fluid motion.

Emerging from the tub, I drained it and toweled myself off, feeling absolutely spotless. To my dismay, my clothes were another story. Dusting them off as best I could, I slipped them on and fumbled into the bedroom. Drained from the bath and the long day, I snuggled into the crisp white sheets and watched the moon-like star through the window as sleep overcame me.


	8. The Organization

Chapter Seven: The Organization

**Axels' POV:**

"Axel, how nice of you join us." Saix sneered as I entered the Place Where Nothing Gathers, assuming my place on my ivory throne.

"You know me," I started, my voice dripping with sarcasm, "Can't keep away from these spectacular little gatherings."

Saix opened his mouth to snarl something but the Superior's voice resonated through the room.

"Friends, there is a reason I have gathered you all here today." Xemnas began, commanding everyone's attention. "We are closer now to finding the keyblade's chosen one."

Despite the silence, you could practically hear everyone's thought screaming with reserved anticipation.

"Heartless are appearing tenfold from what we have known." He continued. "They are preying upon the hearts of worlds everywhere, and soon, my friends; we will harness the power of those hearts and fulfill our destinies."

With this, he vanished in a cloud of darkness, several of us following suit. I lingered behind, however, to ponder this. Soon I too would have a heart and could feel things again, really feel. Lexy would remember me, if her memories continue to flood back as they were, and I could love her again.

"_Do you believe in love?" I asked, watching as her soft dark hair blew in the evening breeze. _

_Her eyes narrowed and she kicked her legs a bit, swinging them over the ledge of her balcony as we watched the stars together. She bit her lower lip and it turned a deeper shade of that lovely petal pink. Tiny hands, she had such tiny hands, they gripped the railing as her ice blue eyes took in the night sky._

"_I'm not sure." She mused, a hint of a smile grazing her lips. "I guess I have to feel it… to believe it."_

_We both sat there, her enthralled by the beauty of the night, and I with her. She was the image of perfection with her petite, hourglass form, those piercing blue eyes, soft lips, frail hands, long sweeping dark hair, and skin that seemed as smooth as glass._

"_Lea?" _

_Snapped out of my reverie by her musical little voice._

"_Yes?"_

"_You're… holding my hand." _

"_Hm?"_

_Glancing down, indeed my palm was covering her hand lightly, enveloping her frigid fingers. _

"_Let go." She muttered, gently tugging, her face turning a lovely shade of rose._

_I grinned. "What if I don't want to?"_

_Her wide blue eyes were all I saw before instinct took over and I cupped her chin in my free palm. Bringing her towards me, I felt her lean into me, the smell of her, citrus and sweet, was all I could feel. Closing my eyes ever so gently, I hovered just above her lips, lingering in her scent. She rose up to meet me, pressing her soft lips into mine. _

_It lasted only a brief moment, too quickly, I thought, before she pulled back and stared at me with enigmatic blue orbs._

"_I wish… I wish I didn't…" She turned away, her voice shaking. "Didn't have to…"_

"_I know…" I sighed, pulling her close so her head rested next to where my heart was racing. "I know…"_

Shaking my head, I noticed Saix had stuck around to watch me, his amber eyes glaring daggers. I shot him a quick smirk before dissipating in darkness.

I half expected Elexya to be hovered over her little trinkets in a teary mess, but I was surprised to find her curled up in my bed, sleeping deeply. Her face was innocent and peaceful; it nearly broke the hollow space where my heart should be. Setting her things on my desk, I myself yawned and pursed my lips, deciding how to sleep.

Shaking my head, I leaned down to take off my boots when I heard a cross between a yawn and a loud mewling noise. Stretching in her sleep, Lexy grimaced and began to tremble, tears leaking out of her closed eyes. Kicking off my boots, I shrugged off my coat and sat down beside her.

Cautious, as so not to wake her, I pulled her close and let her head rest in my lap as I lay against the backboard. Stroking her silken hair, I was relieved to watch her face smooth itself and her tremors come to a halt. It seemed to calm me too, leaning my head back and feeling her heart beating, my senses picking it up.

At last, I mused, we're finally together again. Or, at least, we will be…


	9. Restless

Chapter Eight: Restless

I awoke gently to the sound of soft wind ruffling my hair. I must have left the window open last night, I mused, fumbling for my bed sheets Trixa and I had washed not too long ago. But all my wandering fingers found was another, foreign hand that clasped tightly around mine. And that wind, it wasn't, it was breath, hot on my face and neck from above me.

Glancing up, I found Axels' sleeping face bent low over me, his lips slightly parted and his breaths relaxed and steady. I lay between his legs, my head resting on his belly, feeling every rise and fall. I was halfway on my left side, my right hand held firmly in his left, securing my place next to him. He was unnaturally warm, and it was nearly impossible not to curl up closer and savor it. I know I should have been terrified, but the look of innocence and calm written on his face, a look I had never seen before in him, it made me pause.

After several minutes, I felt his hand slacken and I untangled myself from him, cautious not to waken him. I slipped into the bathroom to freshen up, spraying my reddened face with cool water and combing my hair with my fingers until every last knot gave out. Smoothing my hopelessly wrinkled clothes, I examined myself and found what I saw to be…

…_moderately presentable, I thought, taking in my disheveled appearance. How dare him! That little fire breathing weasel! Startles me right into the fountain! No one was even around to catch the occurrence. I doubt even Isa, who practically worshiped me at this point, would even believe his greatest companion would commit such an atrocity. _

_I had been sitting along the edge of the fountain, just reading to myself as innocent as could be when he sauntered up like some insufferable cad. _

"_What'cha readin' princess?" He had given a Cheshire smile from across the garden, leaning up against a stone column as if he owned the place._

"_It's no business of yours." I answered, not deigning to glance up for a moment. _

_If I had been less engrossed in my book and more attentive, I suppose I would have heard his light footfalls, crunching over crystal grasses. _

"_And here I was, trying to spark a genuine conversation with you," I faintly heard him speak with a fulsome tongue, "Whatever will I do with you, princess?" _

"_You'll do absolutely nothing with m-" I began to snap, giving in and flitting my gaze up to find him bent down over me, his hot sultry breath on my face._

_Just as the molten hot sensation rose in my chest, out of pure instinct I flew back- _

_-right into the benumbing frigid water. _

_Lea stared after me as I surfaced, sitting aloft like a child, a spray of icy water trailing down my neck where I lay. He was trembling, I saw as I stood, the roar of the fountain hitting me full blast._

_But as I held out my hand in a dignified fashion I found that he was not trembling in fear of injuring royalty, he was shaking with laughter. Doubled over in it!_

"_Really?" I spat, setting my stony gaze towards the palace and found that my shoes had stayed in the chilly pool of water. _

_Barefoot, I winced as I trooped over crystal shards of what was supposed to resemble grass, the glassy surface shattering painfully under my skin. _

"_Here, I'm sorry," Lea paused enough to reach for my arm to assist me, "Let me-"_

"_You've done enough." I jerked my arm away and disappeared around the corner, pausing when I heard a sincere sigh. _

_Turning, I craned my neck around the columns and watched as he scratched the roots of his fiery spikes in a most ungentlemanly manner. _

_He bent over the fountain and I had half a mind to go kick him in, but I paused as he pulled something from the clear waters._

_My book!_

_He flipped through the thoroughly soaked pages and I felt anger bubbling up within me. But instead of flying at him to beat it from his grasp, I turned and faced the sure to be scowling faces of my handmaids. _

_Well, I thought as Cissa helped me ease into a steaming hot bath while I sneezed all the while, tomorrow I shall demand my book from him. No, he would know that I spied on him. Across from the bath I watched myself in the mirror, pondering that moment of internal heat just before the sting of the fountains water. Those bright, laughing green eyes. No one here had green eyes, eyes like real live grass. _

"_Hey," Cissa, my dearest friend slipped in through the door, "Someone left this at your chamber doors."_

_She let me dry off my hands before placing a wrapped package into them. It was crudely enveloped in a cheap brown paper which was torn off easily. I stared down in shock._

_My book!_

_It was untouched, completely dry! I figured it must have been a duplicate, until I opened it and saw the minute water damage to each page, although the writing was still legible. _

_One word was scrawled across the shredded brown paper: _

_Spitfire._

"_Elexya," I heard Cissa call from what seemed so far away, "Elexya, you're blushing!"_

_Elexya…_

"Elexya…" I muttered, brushing the mirrored reflection of my fingertips in the mirror.

I heard a soft snore from the other room and giggled slightly, wondering at how I could be so lighthearted towards the man who shredded ever piece of home I had. Well, my common sense chimed in, you'll have to be nice if you value your life. Shrugging these thoughts, I wandered silently into Axels' room, knowing subconsciously how to prowl without making even the featheriest of footfalls.

I must have left my shoes in the bathroom last night, I mused, waltzing barefoot past Axel and turned to the ivory door to wherever he had vanished to last night. It stared back at me, beckoning me, urging me forward. Drawn to it, I felt like a Pandora with her fingers inching towards the latches of her box. Like a moth to a flame…

But as my fingers brushed the smooth white knob, I recoiled as my they met a surface liken to a steaming hot stovetop. Biting my lip to keep from shouting, I felt tears spring to my eyes, the pain dying down rapidly.

"Rule number one, Lex." Axel mused, watching me from the bed while sitting upright and alert, arms crossed and eyes laughing and narrowed.

I should have known.

I watched as he stretched lazily and scooted to the edge of the bed where he slid on his enormous black boots. "Jeeze, Lexy, good morning to you too, chatterbox."

"Good morning." I answered awkwardly, not truly knowing how to respond. "Er… Elexya, that's my name, isn't it?"

He finished stretching and regarded me a moment and began to speak, but was cut off by a loud grumbling that surfaced from my belly. "I-I better get you something to eat. Stay put a minute."

I nodded and watched him leave. He turned the knob like it wasn't an insane degree. I made the disheveled sheets neat and tucked in and sat on the bed when he returned moments later carrying a tray laden with more food than I could possibly eat in one sitting.

"Here's enough for today." He answered my thoughts aloud. "I might not be back till late tonight so don't wait up."

He turned to leave, scratching his scalp awkwardly.

"Axel, wait!" I called as he had almost made it through the door.

"Hm?" He turned.

"How… How do you know who I am?" I chose my words carefully. "When I don't?"

His cool green eyes regarded me a moment, giving me time to wonder at the bright purple reverse teardrop markings below those piercing orbs. "You'll know."

And just like that, he was gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After an hour or two playing around with and eating my breakfast, I sat in several different positions on the bed. The first was a neutral one, my legs swinging over the edge as I watched the ivory door. The next I lay with my head on the pillow, watching the hazy winds pass the window as the glowing moon rested in the sky. Finally I adventurously let my feet hand out the window, my thighs and bum resting against the wall, my back on the bed. With my arms cradling my skull, I watched the ever dark sky and wondered how anyone told time here.

Bored nonetheless, I eventually wandered into the bathroom and, checking over my shoulder, began sorting through anything that caught my interest. What was a girl supposed to do?

In the shelves was an assortment of black attire from before, the boots and shirts and such. Since I had nothing better to do, I ran myself another bath and soaked in the tub until my fingers were thoroughly pruned. When I was done I dried off and wrapped myself in a towel tightly before deciding to wash out my clothes in the water before draining it.

Squishing most all the water from them, I laid them over the edge of the tub to dry. A few hours of combing my hair with pruned fingers and scrubbing my face clean later and I slipped my ash-free clothes on, dusting my still blackened shoes off.

Still bored, I took a towel and began to clean the dusty floors, the tub and the sink. When I was satisfied with my work, I found myself fighting to stay awake. It must have been dusk then, I wondered, when I folded my black coat and set it on Axels' desk. Not wanting to be rude, I found another identical white blanket in the confines of the bathroom shelves and used a spare pillow to curl up on the floor beside Axels' bed.

What does he want with me, I wondered while lying there in wait for sleep, why did he bring me here, to bore me to death? Wow, what a way to go. No, I thought, there has to be something more. Perhaps it has something to do with these weird dreams that I have such a hard time remembering. It's like watching a movie in fast motion and only remembering bits and pieces that don't ever match up. No matter, I thought, it seems he won't do any harm to me, yet, so I'll have to wait and see…


	10. Important Author's Note: Cures Confusion

Important Author's Note:

Just letting you know, in case you didn't get it, the italics are memories that Aylee has from her time as Elexya. They are non-linear so don't try and line them up as they come (laughs evilly). No worries though, all will be revealed in time. (As long as I get some inspiring reviews, they are my crack…) ;P


	11. Playing With Fire

Chapter Nine: Playing With Fire

"_Cissa! Cut it out!" I laughed, holding my hands to my face as an impromptu shield._

_She merely grinned, splashing me harder as we raced through the fountain together. We were both seven and far too old for such nonsense, not that we minded. Her amber eyes sparkled and I kicked up a spray of icy water, the both of us nearly passed out with the cold. Not that the weather ever stopped us before. _

_I knew this was the last free day we would have together. Tomorrow I would be attended to by a Lady in waiting who was specifically trained to teach me the arts of courtesy, posture, proper countenance, carriage and a load of other things that I didn't care to even memorize. As Cissa and I basked in the intensity of the frigid waters, we sat at the edge of the pool and watched the myriad of grey clouds troop by. _

_My father, the man who taught me to fight with archery and if need be my fists, had ordered the Lady to 'assist me'. I knew it was not his full decision, but the courts. It was simply out of his hands. _

_As fate would have it, we, the northern Kingdom, were the only Kingdom blessed with an eligible princess, while the eastern, western and southern kingdoms, bountiful with princes, were squabbling over who would take command of my father's empire. Suddenly my still budding abilities to produce a healthy heir were up for grabs._

_I was torn from these thoughts, however, when a new burst of chilled water rained down upon Cissa and I._

"_Hey!" Cissa cried as I wiped my eyes dry._

_Before us stood Royu, his normally shy face streaked with mischief. I grinned and swept my feet under him, sending him sailing to his haunches beside Cissa, who blushed as his arm brushed hers. _

"_Why the long faces?" He asked, pulling Cissa and I close in a group hug. _

"_You know why." I answered rather coldly, my face downcast. _

_Royu was the son of a palace guard whom my father had a fond side for, I think because he had no sons of his own. Shaking his mane of scraggly brown hair, Royu grinned and splashed my face gently. _

"_No need to worry the last day we have away!" He stuck his tongue out comically, making Cissa giggle maniacally. _

"_Yeah," I smirked, shoving him headfirst into the pool and jumping up to cover any retaliation, "No wasting time."_

_Cissa beamed and dodged a tackle from Royu, whose mouth was opening and closing like a fish, his face soaked and eyes blinded. _

_I myself wasted no time bracing myself for an onslaught of laughter…_

I awoke what I assumed was the next day, judging by the rumbles in my belly, sprawled out on Axels' bed with him asleep below, using the blanket and pillow I had been. Strangely, this made me smile, despite the daunting prospect of another day in this confinement. I ran myself and bath and found that when I returned, Axel had already left.

For the next few days this would be my routine. I would wake to find Axel sound asleep and would creep to the restroom to wash up. He would be gone upon my return and I would find a tray of whatever food he left. Picking here and there at it, I would soon abandon my meal and stare at the sky for as long as I could stand. Often I filed through my treasured baubles and memorized each photo in the album, each face and expression, the daytime and what we were doing. Or, at least, what Trixa or Rimina was doing, and the empty slot of space where I had once been. When I found myself too drowsy to stand it, I would curl up and fall asleep. Sometimes I would cry, silently and softly, but most times I was too numb.

Axel seemed to notice a trend of silence and reservation in the few instances he was around to watch me. I thought he wouldn't mind the silence, as he himself rarely spoke, but one day he woke me up early and told me to put on my black coat.

"Wha-" I yawned, still sleep deprived. "Why?"

"Don't question, just do it." He waited, tapping his foot while I fumbled at zipping up my coat. "Hood up." He reminded me and I complied somewhat grouchily.

He took me by the arm and led me out the ivory door into a hallway that looked more or less the same as his room. The ceiling, however, was almost too high up to spy and I felt my lips part in wonder at this place.

"Axel, where are you taking me?" I asked as we rushed along.

"Sh, the others will hear you." Axel hushed me, pausing to listen for footsteps that never came. "Rule number four, Lex, don't let anyone see your face. Got it?"

"Mhm." I nodded, freezing when he summoned a dark portal, my legs quivering.

"Don't worry," Axel pulled me to him and held me close, almost protectively, "The first time's always the worst."

I whimpered as the familiar poisonous air infiltrated my lungs and I clung to Axels' heady scent to keep it at bay. Black tendrils gripped my limbs and I gripped his arm tighter until the darkness dissipated with the sharp warping sound ringing in my ears.

"Where-where are we?" I wondered aloud, taking in the midnight streets and lazy lamplight all around us.

"It's called Traverse Town." Axel denoted, looking around himself as if for the first time as well, pulling a white card from his pocket.

As I scanned the deserted streets, Axel read over whatever was scrawled upon the note card and he nodded resolutely. "I need to take care of something across town."

I paused and regarded him warily.

"And I need you to stick around here," He went on, tossing the card in the air lightly and letting it ignite into flickering flames, only to crumple to ash below us. "Maybe buy yourself some clothes-"

He took my hand and placed a velvet black pouch of what I assumed was munny into my palm, closing it promptly. "Or just talk with some townspeople. Just remember, Rule number five: Don't reveal anything."

I nodded and pocketed the munny, only knowing half of what he had intoned. He turned to leave and I felt a lump of gratitude rise in my throat. "Thank you, Axel."

He lifted a gloved hand and waved it once, to acknowledge me before vanishing in a sphere of darkness.

I began to wander in and out of shops, wondering why on earth anyone would be open at this hour. Cheered by the thrill of open air nonetheless, I greeted people and chatted over little things that would never have crossed my mind over the past few days.

"Man, we've been having the worst weather lately," A shop keep named Cid commented as I purchased a potion for the heck of it. I fingered through the pouch Axel gave me- and found over 50,000 munny!

"Really? I'm just passing through, what's it like here normally?" I asked breathlessly, thanking him as he handed me a small brown paper bag.

"Oh, I thought you looked new," Cid nodded, scratching his nose momentarily. "Well, its-"

"Hello kupo!" I gave a start as a little white creature with a huge red bulb hanging over its head and an enormous red nose appeared out of thin air. "Take a look at my wares kupo! Great gummi ship supplies kupo!"

"Get atta here!" Cid waved the poor thing away and I winced as it scurried up a set of attic stairs indignantly. "Sorry about that… say, what did you say your name was?"

"Ugh…" I felt my heart sink. Rule number five, Lex, rule number five. Axels' voice chimed in my head. "Thanks for the supplies, I really have to go!"

I called over my shoulder as I sprinted through the door, leaving Cid to shrug his shoulders and wipe his glass counters clean. Sighing with relief, I wandered farther down the street, eagerly drawn to a clothing store. There I was ambushed by a young woman who ushered me around her store, pulling things off hangers seemingly at random for me to try on. Well, as if I objected.

In the end, after what seemed an hour or two of sifting through piles of clothes, I bought several skirts in red, blue and white. I also found three shirts with the same flowing design and a silver blue lightweight jacket. To complete my wardrobe I found a quicksilver and baby blue dress with black straps that barely reached my mid thigh, also purchasing a white slip for underneath and for use as a nightshift.

Waving goodbye to the saleswoman, I exited the store with my arms full of bags. A late night street side café was open and I enjoyed hot tea and biscuits, wondering where in this world Axel was.

That's when I began to wander.

Up the streets I walked, past cafés and shops, not bothering to pause to wave at passersby's. Eye's open, I ambled along until I reached a deserted square. Scanning the area to be sure he wasn't anywhere to be seen, I was drawn to a radiant gold fountain. It depicted two dogs, a lovely cocker spaniel and some mutt gazing at one another adoringly. Strange, I thought, dog love…

"Huh?" I turned as multiple warping swirls of darkness morphed into a dozen or so heartless.

These weren't the average Shadow's I was used to, for that matter. Each was clad in a loose blue tunic garnished with a strange heart shaped emblem. Their faces were hidden behind silver helmets and their feet moved clumsily about in silver boots that clanged noisily as they scampered around.

Dropping my bags, I reached for my quiver and rained arrows down upon one, missing on several attempts before bringing it down. But my smug grin of success was wiped literally off my face as the horde of clamoring halfwits simultaneously charged right for me.

Whilst I was occupied with dodging their nasty silver claws, their numbers seemed to double in the blink of an eye. I hadn't nearly enough arrows to take out this entire fleet!

"I told you to stay put!"

I was both terrified and relieved as Axel appeared in the midst of the scene, slicing through the enemies with his Chakrams like a knife through warm butter. They began to storm him and I slung arrow after arrow until my quiver was light as air upon my back. A ring of fire had immediately surrounded us, in order to keep these vermin from escaping I had thought, but when it did not die down once the threat was over, my heart began to sink.

"Axel…" I watched as he finished the last of the little knights, nearly doubled over and breathing rather unevenly.

"Rule number six: don't wander off!" He snapped, straightening, towering over me while his beryl eyes glared menacingly.

I turned to run but found only fire, drawing nearer at that, the closer Axels' burning face reached me. Biting my lip to keep from screaming, I lowered my head and waited for whatever cruel punishment awaited me.

"I could have lost you."

I blinked as his broad hands pulled me in and his arms wrapped around me like scorching prison bars. His chin rested on my shoulder blade and I placed my hands at his back, not quite knowing what to do. Was he still angry? He looked like someone eager for initiating decapitation and now he was embracing me.

"I'm alright." I assured him, patting his back gingerly.

"Get your things," He said stonily, retracting his arms and summoning another portal, "It's time to go home."

I shuddered at the thought of another wave of darkness but collected my bags nonetheless.

Later that night as I emerged from the bathroom in my nightshift, I sank snuggly into bed and watched Axel as he slid his thumb over the tip of his index finger, summoning a flame to flicker on and off, on and off, on and off on the tip of his thumb like a lighter. Although his mood was foul to say the least, the oddity of it all made me giggle a bit.

"What?" He stopped suddenly, eyeing me suspiciously.

I tried to smother my laughter with my hand, which proved useless. "Nothing… I-I just… you're like a kid who's bored with an old toy."

There was a short pause, just before I smelled smoke as the tip of a lock of my hair burst into flame. Before I even had time to scream, it smothered itself and the only trace of fire was the charred remains of my already raven tips.

"I'm not bored…" Axel said between bouts of laughter, rolling on the floor, "I got you!"

Without another word, I heard a loud "Oof!" as my pillow collided with his smirking face.

"Goodnight Axel." I smiled contently.


	12. Black Coats

A/N: I have been forgetting to post my disclaimer (Oops ;)) so: (Places hand over heart and makes scout sign with fingers) I own nothing of Kingdom Hearts such as their characters or settings. I merely own my own OC characters and the plot… and the humor, which I own too. Thank You.

Also, thank you to my fabulous reviewers: Elfuhbuh, Noyesgirl and Inspiration of Imagination for all of your kind reviews, they mean a lot to me and I thank you from the heart.

As for any further confusion, I would like to clarify that this story takes place before and during Kingdom Hearts I, which I hope explains the "Growing moon" that Elexya keeps seeing, which is the infant Kingdom Hearts.

Thanks and enjoy:

Chapter Ten: Black Coats

_I faded in and out of dreams like shafts of light peering through cracks in a heavy shroud of storm clouds. My hands fumbled for the edge of my duvet cover, wanting to rid myself of the burning heat in my bed before I began to sweat. Finding only a warm sheath of fabric over something firm but smooth, I opened my eyes to find myself securely swaddled in someone's arms as they lay, curled up against a stone column while we both rested upon a dangerously peaked ivory railing._

_Before I could think, my body convulsed and I wobbled haphazardly until I swung over the edge and fell safely, though painfully, to the ground on the balcony. Groaning, I rubbed my eyes as Lea's torso, where my head had lain, began to rumble with laughter. _

"_Hmmm… There's nothing like the sound of clumsiness to wake ya up in the morning." He chuckled and stretched lazily. _

_I opened my mouth to unleash a snappy rebuttal, but found my voice swept away by the sight of him stretching like a cat in the-_

"_Sunlight!" I cried, leaping to my feet and tottering sideways gracelessly as I clung to the railing._

"_Wha-" Lea yawned and let his breath rustle my hair, although I was too engrossed in the early morning sky to bother with him._

"_Look, at it… it's so… there's no word to describe it." I muttered, basking in rays of light that rent my skin aglow from the inside, a foreign sensation. I felt tears well up in my eyes._

"_Don't stare too long." Lea warned, resting his chin on the crown of my head and grasping my hands where they lay, his front side so unnaturally temperate against my spine. "You'll burn your eyes out."_

"_Oh, thanks!" I giggled, not taking my eyes off the garden below us._

_Thin clusters of light leaked in through the cool grey clouds we were all accustomed to, illuminating the crystal maze. The entire garden glowed seemingly from within; an illusion of color and fiery light echoing past it and painting itself along the pure white walls of the palace. The pale walls I had known as long as I could remember were awash in shades of violet and hues of ocean blue and electric yellow. I gasped and suddenly felt Lea's hands violently drag me backwards into the shadows of the columns._

"_Hey!" I cried. "What on earth do you think you're-?"_

"_Shh, the guards saw us, I think." Lea hushed me, his lips pressed to my ear. "We should go, before anyone gets suspicious."_

_I felt my heart sink at the thought of giving up this view, and this company, to return to my chambers where clucking tongues awaited._

"_Alright."_

"What?"

I shook myself awake to find Axels' puzzled face eyeing me from across his room.

"I didn't say anything." I yawned and wondered how late I had slept in.

It had been nearly three weeks, at least from what I could remember, and I had grown accustomed to rising faster than him. Axel had lightened up considerably from my last encounter of Heartless and even let me explore the castle of the World That Never Was, at least whenever he said he had a "Meeting" to attend. The rest of the castle wasn't all too spectacular, but it certainly beat being cooped up in his room all day.

"Oh." Axel shook his head and made for the bathroom.

"Sunlight." I muttered to myself, thinking back to my vision. "Never thought I'd ever miss it so much…"

Glancing back up, Axel was staring again, his eyes of flaming emerald alive and calculating again as if I were some impossible puzzle he longed to complete. "I have a meeting today, but don't wander off too far, kay?"

"Kay." I nodded, reaching for my black coat.

"Remember the rules." He went on, shrugging on his own coat.

"Got it." I nodded animatedly, bursting to escape the monotonous gloom of Axels' dwelling.

"Jeeze," He chuckled, grabbing my hood playfully and watching as I swiped and missed his face by miles, "A little eager, are we?"

"Axel!" I warned, tugging my hood from his grasp and throwing it over my face.

"Alright, alright." He waved his hands in the air dramatically before opening the ivory door. "Don't get lost this time, kay?"

"Kay!" I called over my shoulder, already halfway down the hall.

**Axels' POV:**

I ran a gloved hand along the length of my jaw, so deep in thought I hardly noticed the other nobodies as they dispersed in plumes of evaporating darkness. The keyblade's chosen one, I thought, just another tool for the Organization. Another stepping stone to bring me closer to my goal; a heart, another chance.

"Number Eight," Saix addressed me, sauntering over with a look of smug severity in his eyes. "Loitering leaves no time for completing missions."

"And completing missions leaves no time for decent sleep." I retorted, crossing my arms and smirking, just daring him to retaliate.

"Hm, well, no rush I see?" He went on, undaunted. "Nothing waiting you elsewhere?"

"Wha-" My throat burned, thoughts turning to Elexya. "What? The moon got you all mixed up today, Saix?"

"You're hiding something, Lea." Saix leaned in threateningly. "And I _will_ find what it is."

"Yup, full moon," I rolled my eyes and stood up, "I thought so."

Leaving little Number II to stew in his suspicions, alarms rang off in my head. How did we get out so early? Where is Lexy?

Darkness filled my senses as I fled to where I knew I could find her.

**Elexya's POV:**

I traced intricate patterns along the edge of the white railing where I sat, watching the never changing stars. The strange moon hung full and fat in the sky, seemingly grown from the last time I laid eyes upon it. Odd, I thought, I knew that moons wax and wane, but I've never heard of them growing. Unless it's inching closer to this world, in which case we'd better-

But my thoughts were interrupted as footsteps resounded up the slanted walkway where I sat and I leaped to my feet, ready for action.

"Oh, Axel," I smiled at the lanky hooded figure as he approached and froze, watching me intently, "What? It's just me."

There was no answer as Axel lowered his hood with slow fingers, to reveal-

-it wasn't Axel.

"Hya." A young man, about my age, complete with a cross between a mullet and a flat top grinned back at me. "Are… Are you… new?"

"Uh…" I bit my lip and cursed myself for not keeping my hood up, completely breaking one of Axels' silly rules, which didn't feel so silly then.

"Unless… You're a spy." The man backed into a battle stance, pulling an impossibly large guitar from thin air, it was in the elaborate shape of the Organization's emblem.

"Whoa, nice guitar." I noted, hoping to distract him.

It seemed to work, pulling him from his action mode. A goofy grin spread across his face and he strummed his instrument, the sweet note resonating in my ears.

"Sitar… it's a sitar." He corrected, leaning against the half-wall next to me. "So, who _are _you?"

Taking a deep breath, I figured I had nothing to lose and the truth seemed to work in the past so…

"Oh," Demyx nodded as I finished breathlessly. I found out a few things myself, such as his name and that his element was water. Demyx tapped his temple in thought, "I always thought Axel was hiding something. You never know with him, do you?"

"No, you don't."

We both jumped as Axel came sauntering up the walkway, jaw set and eyes piercing as ever.

"Axel, I-" I tried, but he cut me off, heading straight for a whimpering Demyx.

"So," Axel began, grabbing Demyx by the collar and yanking him off the ground with ease, "You're in on it too, huh?"

"Axel, it's not his fault, I-" I grabbed his arm, trying fruitlessly to put him at ease.

"Not a word of this to the superior _or_ his faithful pup." Axel seethed, Demyx nodding comically. "Got it memorized?"

"Yup, yup, got it." Demyx grinned fearfully and fell to the floor with an "Oof!" once Axel heeded my pleas and released him.

"Well, now that we're all on the same page here, maybe you can explain to me why Saix is up in arms about me." Axel went on as Demyx dusted himself off.

"Isn't it obvious?" Demyx wondered aloud. "You're always late to meetings, you barely scrape by on your missions and no one ever sees you lying around like usual. It's a little bit of a giveaway there, Axy."

Axy, I laughed inwardly, not daring to aloud.

"One, don't… _ever_... call me 'Axy' again." Axel grit his teeth in warning while Demyx sought refuge behind me. "Two, I have Lex to take care of here."

"We-ell." Demyx grinned mischievously. "I could watch after her when you're out and when I'm out you can watch her. I'll even do it for free."

Axel regarded the water being for a moment, as if weighing the options carefully. "Fine, but don't let her out of your sight."

"Hey!" I scoffed indignantly but Axel ignored it.

"This'll be great." Demyx began prattling off, one arm draped around my shoulders as we walked along back to the dormitories of the castle. "I have tons of mission stories, and I can even teach you some magic!"

I smiled as I walked along, glancing at a pouting Axel, who walked along beside me with his arms crossed defiantly. Finding his hand, I grasped it in mine and held it tight, tilting my head and beaming up at him, trying to erase his agitation. It seemed to work as his face began to soften, his lips curling up in a glowing smile.

"And after that we can- Yahhhhooooooiiiiiiii!" Demyx screamed and broke away, hands clasped to his rear end, which seemed to be smoking…

"Axel…" I sighed and he pulled me closer, laughing all the while.


	13. Brothers

A/N: Hello! I awoke this morning to the pleasant "ding!" of my computer alerting me of more spectacular reviews! Honestly, I cannot begin to express my gratitude for such thoughtful comments. Thanks to Azores, with your insightful views, and to Noyesgirl and Inspiration of Imagination. I'm watching the bar rise with every chapter- I aim to please!

Disclaimer: Same as always- I own nothing but my OC characters and the ever twisting plot.

Chapter Eleven: Brothers 

"_Goodbye… Cissa," I tucked her hair behind her ears while she slept peacefully, "I can't stay here... But I know someday you'll understand."_

_I yearned to shake her awake and spirit her away with me, wherever it was I was going, but alas I could not risk her life as well as my own. With trembling fingers I snapped my hood up and drew my cloak closely around my shivering body. A deep chill blew in from my window and elegant swirls of dusty white snow danced gracefully to my floor. My Lady in waiting would surely be furious. Even through my thick leather hunting slippers, which I had always hidden in the crawlspace below my bedside rug, I felt the frigid stone floor chill me to the bone._

_But now was not the time for fear, I shook my head resolutely, now was a night for liberation. So, with this burned in my mind I stepped onto the windowsill and with one last look at my dear friend curled on her cot at the edge of my bed, I groped for the pure crystal ivy that synthetically grew along the castle walls. Grasping the tangled icy vines, I swung myself off the sill and placed myself at the mercy of the glassy would-be vegetation._

_The climb was staggering to say the least, my limbs finding it nearly impossible to move in the flurry of ice and snow around me. Twice I had to stop and watch the air plume white before my face while I clung to the vines for dear life as gusts of wind nearly blew me down to the dark oblivion below. _

"_Ah!" I cried, my hand slipping on a rather jagged piece of crystal. Swaying dangerously, my heart pounded as I grappled for anything within reach._

_I stopped to gasp for breath once I was safely attaching myself to the wall. My hand stung and I watched as a stream of blood poured from a thin slit in my palm. The vine warped in hues of violet and azure until the creeping plant reconstructed itself once more. _

_Regaining my strength, I willed myself to press on until at last the edge of the roof was within my grasp. With a grunt, I swung myself up over the edge and stood wobbly. Scampering up to the narrow peak of the roof, I gave a great sigh of relief and proceeded to gain my bearings. The western wing gave way to several crystal domed towers and to my right the roof stretched out into the distance, the great palace wall a mere strip of pale stone in the distance. Feeling the burn of my injury, I tore a strip of my cloak and swaddled my palm, tying the ends snuggly._

_Lifting my chin, I held my arms out to steady me as I began to walk the thin line of roof, trying not to hold my breath all the while. _

_That was when I heard the distinct sound of rapid footfalls behind me. Freezing, I felt my quiver at my back and my bow faithfully appeared at my side, tucked into my belt. Glancing back, I found a dark figure moving in fast. A guard, I thought hastily. _

_Dropping my arms, I took a deep breath and began to sprint towards the edge of the kingdom. I attributed my thunderous pace and dexterity to the pulse of adrenaline flooding my veins like wildfire. The great wall stretched out before me, closer and closer and my heart met the rhythm of my feet on the ground as I flew past. _

_But just as I reached the edge of the western wing, the wall being only a swift leap away, I came to a harrowing stop as new wall rose before me- a wall of fire. _

"_Stop!" The guard hollered behind me, gaining on me where I stood motionless. _

_Anger welled up within me, matching the heat of the flames that danced before me. Turning, with a flick of my wrists I strung an arrow and aimed it right between the eyes of the guard, who-_

_-wasn't a guard…_

"_Where do you think you're going?" The stranger asked ominously, inching towards the light of the fire at my back. "Put your toy away and take off your hood."_

_I only tensed further, the string of my bow creaking, stretched taut. This stranger, no guard indeed, had the emblem of the fallen Southern Kingdom stitched to his tunic: a wheel with fire spewing from iron spokes, a Chakram. _

"_Don't come any closer." I snarled, trying to sound like anyone but me. "I swear I'll shoot you where you stand."_

"_Will you?" The stranger laughed, drawing so close I could make out his general features._

"_You!" I gasped as the prince's bodyguard, the fire eater, sauntered up to me with his emerald eyes aglow. _

"_So, who are you?" He wondered aloud, hand scratching his chin in thought, the other one cradling his opposite elbow. "Petty thief, perhaps? No, you're dressed too well…"_

_Sheathing my arrow, I tucked my bow away, afraid my weapon would give my identity away. As the fire eater hummed, pondering, I turned my gaze to the edge of the roof to my left, wondering how far of a fall it was. A life of servitude to a husband as cold as ice, or one quick leap into the next life? Would my heart stop in terror even before I hit the ground? _

_Gritting my teeth, I braced myself and advanced towards the slant of the roof. _

"_Whoa! Hey!" I felt something, a hand, grasp my hood and I swung in the air a bit, gazing in horror at the terrible fall I would have endured. _

"_Let me go!" I cried, struggling aimlessly, flailing my arms at thin air. _

"_Knock it o-" He began, but froze, his eyes meeting mine as my raven locks fell in my face. "Princess..?"_

"_Put me down!" I growled and he roughly dropped me next to him. _

"_You're coming with me." He gripped my upper arm and yanked me along eastwards. _

"_No!" I beat at him but he refused to let up. "You don't understand! Let go! Let go of me this instant!"_

"_Look, princess," He snapped, stopping to lean down so we were face-to-face. "When all your father's horses and all your father's men aren't here to save you, I call the shots."_

"_You're Prince Isa's bodyguard, aren't you?" I asked irritably as he pulled me along once more. _

"_You could say that." He shrugged his vice-like grip on my arm like a blazing iron cage. "The name's Lea, got it memorized?"_

_I rolled my eyes as he came to a stop._

"_Here's your room, just below us." He announced, although I knew already, but was puzzled as to how he knew. "Goodnight, princess…"_

_Without another word he took my hand and with it he shoved me over the edge and swung me in through my window with one fluid flick of his wrist. With a cry I landed, sprawled out on the floor before a snoring Cissa. It was a wonder my Lady in waiting had not risen at the sight of me barreling to the carpeted floor. Her own snores could be heard beyond my room's double doors. _

_As I stood shakily, I swear I heard the fiery cackle of Lea's laughter before I shut my window curtly with a loud 'snap'._

"_Hey," Cissa mumbled groggily, "Keep it down…"_

"_Just keeping the cold out." I muttered. _

Sitting up in bed, I glanced over to find Axel slumbering noisily with his musical snores. His face was positioned towards me and I watched his lips part slightly and it made the edges of my lips curl upwards. Blood red spikes were sprawled across his pillow, a halo of fire around his smooth, pale features. I knew the rhythm of his breathing by heart, the sudden intake of air and the slow, smooth release, the rise and fall of his chest. I even knew every expression he wore in his sleep, the stony frozen mask, the scrunched mask of fury, even the comical rise of his brows that made me snort with laughter.

Letting my giggles dissapate, I lay back down and tried to synchronize our breaths. My eyes drooped and I was borne away on a wave of warm sleep.

**Axels' POV:**

I snapped my eyes open at a thin rapping at my door. It sounded more like a pup scratching at the metal and wrenched it open irritably.

"H-hey, Axel," A very frightened Demyx stared back at me with translucent blue eyes.

"Came to babysit?" I sneered, glancing back to watch Elexya sleeping deeply in my bed.

"Yup." Demyx nodded in that goofy fashion. "Saix is waiting with your mission."

"What about you?" I asked, half knowing the answer.

He merely shrugged and slipped in past me, watching Elexya slumber with a childlike wonder.

"Don't wake her." I warned him, folding my arms and watching him sit Indian style on the ground beside where she lay.

He nodded absentmindedly and I rolled my eyes, closing the door behind me. Saix, I thought wryly, great, just the guy I wanna see. Sauntering down the halls, I clasped my hands behind my head in thought. Where had we gone wrong? It had all started so…

…_simple, I thought to myself with glee. These people went crazy over every one of my tricks! _

_I lifted two fingers to my lips and ignited them, spewing the highly flammable oil from my mouth and watching the gathering crowd's awed faces as a burst of fire erupted before them. Many people cried out loud but many more scrambled to their coin purses to find some munny to throw. With a smirk, I jumped into a one-handed hand-stand, my entire body aflame as I preformed. At this rate, I pondered, I would be set for weeks. I should have stumbled into this city days ago!_

_I had been barely seven when the heartless had laid siege upon the fire being kingdom, destroying everything and everyone in their path. I had barely made it out unscathed, not knowing if anyone else had. The deserts I always dreamed of nomadically wandering through were now my greatest enemy, as I struggled to find any form of shelter. Sandstorms, hunger and the heat had driven me half to insanity by the time I miraculously stumbled into the outer cities of the Eastern kingdom. Now here I stood in the capitol, in the shadow of the great palace, making a fortune doing silly tricks._

"_Thank you, thank you," I bowed, scooping up munny with both hands before the applauding crowd. _

_I supposed not many people here were elementals, let alone ever seen a fire eater in their lives. I began counting up my earnings and wondering how I would look in the Eastern style clothing, noting how scraggly my attire seemed at the moment. My shirt was tattered and my billowy pants, suitable for the hot, dry climate of the South, had several burn marks and hung too low on my narrow hips. _

"_Look!" One woman in a brightly colored dress denoted, flailing her arms at a passing palanquin. "The Prince! The Prince!" _

"_Huh," I cocked my head to one side, my dusty red spikes falling in my face a bit. _

_The crowd gathered around the palanquin, fingers struggling to feel a wisp of the cream colored veil that shielded his Highness from the people. But shouts rang out like wildfire as the crowd fled from the scene as if the Prince had sprung a second head from his neck or some such nonsense. _

"_Heartless!" A half crazed looking man screamed as he shot past me. "Heartless!"_

"_No…" I hissed, drawing my Chakrams to my sides in a fiery blaze. "Not here… Not again."_

_As the masses fled the streets, the men carrying the palanquin dropped it in fear and they themselves ran for cover. Several black Neoshadows stood, sauntering towards the palanquin. Lifting my weapons, I cried out in a furious flurry and charged at them._

_My left Chakram sliced through one, extinguishing it promptly as I shot a burst of fire at another. Grunting and hollering, I battled each to the ground, slicing and throwing my weapons, which met their targets and returned faithfully to my grasp. _

_When it was all over, I slumped to my knees, breathing heavily. Several loud mouth guards appeared at my sides, gripping my upper arms and roughly yanking me to my feet._

"_A fire being." One shook me gruffly. "He threatened the Prince!"_

"_Kill him!" Another shouted from behind. _

_Struggling, I was struck across the face and I bent my head in defeat. _

"_Wait!" A cool cry came forth from the palanquin. A figure appeared, a boy, not a day older than I, strode forth regally and observed me with cold amber eyes. _

_The guards ceased their mindless squabble and stood at attention. Eyeing me, the aqua blue haired prince regarded me carefully. He was no bigger than I, if only built slightly broader. I suppose that without his guards, I could take him out with one… maybe two strikes. _

"_Let him be." The prince ordered and I was immediately released. "This boy saved my life. I owe a deep debt to him."_

"_Y-yeah!" I barked at the guard closest to me, but then registered what the boy had said. "What?"_

"_You'll be my personal guard." The prince stated, standing before me. "What is your name, fire eater?"_

"_Lea," I said, scratching the back of my head awkwardly, "Uh, your majesty."_

_The prince nodded and ushered me under the veil of his palanquin where we sat, wobbling as the carriers returned to lift us. _

"_I'm Isa." He said in hushed tones as we began to move. "I've never had a friend before."_

"_Oh," I nodded, my stomach feeling sick with every jerking motion of my seat. "Me neither."_

I entered the grey area and found Saix awaiting me with cold eyes. Larxene sat on one of the couches, sharpening her knives, looking much like a cat filing its claws. Xaldin, the dark brute himself was gazing up at the budding Kingdom Hearts that hung in the sky. He was muttering something unintelligible, his black pools darting between the sky and his clenched fists.

"Axel, depart as soon as possible." Saix ordered, narrowing his eyes as I took my mission card.

"You got it!" I denoted with mock determination. 

"Hmm…" Saix grumbled and turned from me, folding his arms.

_Isa sat beside me in the carriage, all jitters and worried eyes._

"_What's eating you?" I asked, shoving him playfully. _

"_Hey!" He scooted away from me, always taking himself too seriously. "Knock that off! I happen to be concerned with what Princess Elexya might… well… what she might think of me…"_

_I gripped my stomach and rolled with laughter, watching him burn with indignation through my squinting eyes._

"_I-Isa!" I chuckled, willing myself to calm down. "She's your __betrothed!__ Will it really matter if she likes you or not?"_

"_I…It will to me." He shrugged indifferently. "This marriage may be an alliance to unite our forces in defeating the heartless, but I don't want a wife that despises me!"_

"_Oh, Isa," I bit back more laughter and draped an arm around his shoulders, "If she has two working eyes, I know she won't be able to resist you."_

"_Says the man whom every young maid in the entire Easter Kingdom is sighing over!" He snapped, pushing me off of him. "I swear, every time I get close to winning a countess or duchess' affection, you go off and sweep her off her feet you ol' cad!"_

"_Cad?" I reiterated with mock-surprise. "Who? Me?"_

_We both collapsed in laughter together while the coachman snapped the reigns harder and the team of lagging steeds thundered forth towards the Western Kingdom. _

I recalled this memory while beating on Shadows as they emerged in the world known as Agrabah. The hot sun warmed my face and gave me an advantage of strength. Not a single drop of sweat beaded my brow I sealed the fate of the last heartless.

Standing in the streets alone, I found an empty crate and sat there awhile. Chin in one hand, I pondered my past, wondering how it all went wrong from there.

"_Isa?" I whispered, peering into his room and hearing the low crackle of the embers in his fireplace. _

"_Come in, Lea." I heard his voice, yet it wasn't his normal voice, calling me. _

_Taking tentative steps forward, I found him sitting in an armchair before the fireplace, his eyes fixated on the dying embers. Snapping my fingers, the flames rose and danced elegantly as if someone had tossed a new round of logs upon it. _

"_I know where you've been, Lea." He said, his voice laced with a calm fury. "I know who you have been with."_

"_Isa-"_

"_Silence!" He roared, his skin taking on an eerie dark purple glow in the firelight. "I have held my tongue long enough."_

_I stood, frozen before him as his eyes dug into me, his hands clutching the edges of the chairs' armrests in a death grip. _

"_Isa, you don't sound right." I denoted, trying not to sound inferior. "Something's different…" _

"_Something is different, Lea." He smirked, the dark tendrils around him flailing with a soft warping sound. "I am different. I have found a way to create peace within this world, a way to end this war with the heartless."_

"_No…" I breathed, my eyes growing wide. It couldn't be… "Isa, no!"_

"_I control the darkness now, Lea." He said darkly, standing with the dark glow radiating off of him like some form of anti sunlight. "And tomorrow, when I wed the princess and take control of this world, I will end this war once and for all!"_

"_You don't even know what you're doing Isa!" I cried, backing away as the fire behind me was quickly snuffed out by his darkness. "You can't be one of them! They'll destroy you, Isa! You can't!"_

"_I can," His eye glittered dangerously, "And I have."_

_I regarded this madman with new eyes, my heart breaking for the loss of my own stand-in brother. "You are no friend of mine. Whoever you are… you are not my brother." _

_I summoned my Chakrams to my hands, letting them hang by my curled fingertips._

_With a growl, deep and low, Isa barked. "Guards! An assassin! Seize him!"_

_Out of nowhere, hands were upon me. I struggled, but something hard struck the back of my neck and the world went black._

"Isa." I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Why did it have to come to this?"


	14. Emergency AN

A/N: I am deeply regretful to say that this ff will be postponed for several days due to my computer crashing. I am writing this from an undisclosed computer. My ff is not done, so don't give up on me! When my computer is fixed up, I have several new chapters lined up. Thanks to all who read this!


	15. Number Nine

Chapter Twelve: Number Nine

"Mmmhhh…" I rolled over on the bed and sighed contently, stretching my arms over my head and slowly opening my restful eyes- "_Whoa!_"

I jumped, startled from the two unblinking ocean blue eyes staring right at me. This startled Demyx, who fell from sitting Indian style to lying on his back. He jerked to his feet ungracefully and regarded me like a child with its hand stuck in a cookie jar would. Realizing there was no imminent threat; I relaxed and even giggled as a disgruntled Demyx dusted himself off.

"Oh, great," He muttered, his face changing from wry to goofish once again, "You're up."

"I am now." I muttered, still giggling.

Demyx opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by a low rumbling erupting from my stomach.

"Uh… Hungry?" He asked, staring at my belly as if I had sprouted another arm or something.

"I… guess." I answered just as awkwardly.

"Okay," Demyx glanced around the room, eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Promise not to tell Axel, and I'll take you to the mess hall."

"Promise!" I leaped from the bed and scrambled into the bathroom to freshen up. "Be back in a minute!"

Using a hairbrush I had requested from Axel a week ago, I combed out my tangle of knotted hair and swept it up into an elegant twist, pinning it with a butterfly hairclip Axel had given me as a gift. Satisfied, I rummaged through my clothes on the shelves next to Axels' and drew out my sky blue dress that fit snuggly over my white slip. Throwing on my silver jacket, I completed my outfit by shrugging on my black coat and flipping the hood up with a sharp snap.

"So, Axel tells me that water's your element." I said once we were halfway down the hall.

Demyx grinned and beat his fist to his chest with comical pride. "Yup, that's me. They call me the Melodious Nocturne."

"Really?" I giggled. "'Cause Axel usually refers to you as 'Nitwit', 'Slowpoke', or my favorite: 'Waterboy.'"

Demyx's face fell and I practically heard his ego deflating.

"But he did say you're a great sitar player…" I lied, inwardly sighing with relief when he brightened again.

"We-ell…" Demyx tapped his chin and began to tell me the excruciatingly long tale of his first encounter with the instrument.

"Oh," I nodded after what seemed an eternity, my stomach growling all the while, "Do you remember much about your Somebody?"

He seemed to ponder this, but shook his head, no. It seemed he was about to announce something when he glanced ahead and suddenly leaped in front of me.

"Demyx!" A loud, growling voice rumbled down the hall from us. "There you are! Saix had me search the entire castle to find you!"

With one swift movement, Demyx kicked a metal door beside us and as it slid open, the furious intruder approached.

"_Wha-at?_" Demyx tried aimlessly at nonchalance, shoving me through the open door and out of the way.

The door shut and through it I heard mumbled snippets of the conversation from what looked like a storage closet.

"Worthless…Saix requires us… Next time I'll… Right into Oblivion!" The gruff voice thundered.

I then heard Demyx, his voice meek and shaky. "Right…Okay… Ah!...You got it boss!"

There was a pause, filled with the sound of heavy boots stomping off, then the door slid open with a metallic 'whoosh!'

"Everything okay..?" I asked a deeply disturbed looking Demyx. "Who _was_ that?"

"X…X-Xaldin." Demyx stuttered, coughing into his fist and trying to shake it off. "Biggest bully in the Organization."

"You can say that again." I nodded, patting him on the shoulder and smiling weakly. "Now, what d'you say we run on down to the mess hall, hmm?"

"No can do…" Demyx shook his head solemnly. "Xaldin warned that if I don't report to Saix for my mission soon, he'll… he'll… Well, I don't even want to say what he'll do…"

"Alright then." I grit my teeth and felt the urgency of my stomach as it churned in despair.

Demyx left me in the closet once more and after an excruciatingly long wait, I heard several cryptic knocks at the door in a combination we had both agreed upon. Sliding open the door, I watched as he stood in the hallway, pale as a ghost. His eyes were devoid of all humor and I snapped my fingers in front of them to draw him from whatever reverie he dwelt in.

"Hello!" I shook his shoulders roughly. "Earth-to-Demyx! Anyone in there?"

Without a word, he shoved a small index card into my hand and I held it to my face warily. In formal handwriting a few words were scrawled in blue ink: Wonderland/Giant Heartless has surfaced/ Depart immediately. Reading and re-reading it, I cocked my head to the side and regarded my hallowed friend.

"Oh, c'mon," I shrugged, "Doesn't look _that_ bad."

"Told them I'm no good at combat." He muttered, light-years away in his own little world.

I patted his back reassuringly as he summoned a dark portal, my own nerves beginning to fry. Taking Demyx's arm tightly, I held on as we both entered the shifting world of swirling darkness. Although by now you would have thought it would have been second nature to me, but still the hair on my arms stood on end, my eyes shut tight and my breath stifled to keep out the black abyss warping around me.

"What is this place?" My words tumbled forth even before my eyes were able to take in the foreign scenery.

We had appeared in what seemed a tunnel of sorts, an assortment of furniture jutting out of the walls in violent positions. Ducking to avoid being clubbed by a grandfather clock as Demyx led the way; I felt my empty stomach become nauseous at the patchwork of odd colors staining this entire world.

"Wonderland, I guess." Demyx shrugged indifferently. "Never been here before."

I sighed and rolled my eyes at his pouting, feeling much the older sister to my sullen friend. "Whoa!"

I gasped at a blur of white rushed past us both, hollering all the while in a nasally drone. "Late! Late! Oh, dear! Oh, my! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!"

As the creature, no taller than my waist, stopped to wrench open a door at the end of the tunnel, I felt my mouth drop open in awe. It was a little white rabbit! Complete with a scarlet overcoat over a banana yellow shirt and sky blue trousers, he wielded a black umbrella in one hand and inspected an abnormally large pocket watch in the other with his round spectacles, his eyes wide with dread. He vanished in a flurry of dust rising behind his thundering feet, the door slamming in his wake.

"Um… Okay…" I snapped out of my staring and found Demyx doing much the same.

"Geeze, what's his deal?" Demyx asked, his mood shifting from depression to confusion so fast it made my head spin.

"I dunno," I shook my head, grasping the doors handle, "May as well find out."

Through the door we marched, finding a small sitting room, complete with a brick fireplace and a tea table with two matching seats. Another clock ticked along quietly in the corner and I inspected two little bottles on the table whilst Demyx made a startling discovery while crouching beside a wall.

"Yo, Lexy!" Demyx called, my head instinctively snapping up at the sound of my second name. "Check this out! The only way through is through this- this- tiny door!"

Tilting my head to peer around him, he was right, a microscopic door stood awkwardly against the mighty wall, the keyhole forming a snoring mouth while the knob, a nose, made little slumbering snorts, eliciting chortles from Demyx.

"How do we get through?" He pondered, inspecting the door this way and that.

"Demyx…" I motioned with my hand to one of the bottles that read 'SHRINK', but he paid me no heed.

"I mean, what does Xaldin expect?"

"Demyx!"

"C'mon, he could even fit his big toe in here-"

"DEMYX!"

"What?"

I stood on his toe promptly and he yelped, mouth wide enough for me to pour enough of the syrupy solution down his throat for the results to become apparent. Giggling as his screeching became fainter and fainter, I took a quick swig and my teeth stung with the sickly sweet concoction. Grasping my forehead, I spun around dizzily to find the world sprouting around me. The walls climbed to astounding heights and the little door rose to meet my height, Demyx's voice returning to normalcy.

"What was that for?" He hollered.

"Quit complaining." I grumbled, my stomach releasing a rather gruesome growl.

Fumbling at the door knob, I watched in paranoia as the slumbering knob threatened to wake, but my fingers proving far too stealthy for detection.

"Let's get this over with." I muttered, stepping into the bright lights ahead.

Demyx followed me in, his apprehensiveness almost tangible. "You got it."

My eyes stung as insanely bright green shrubbery coated the scene in a neatly trimmed veil. Treading along primly cut grasses, I trailed the heart shaped green arches with my squinting eyes, still not accustomed to the light. Suddenly, the sound of urgent voices hung in the stale air and I swiftly drew to the side of one of the arches, pulling Demyx to my side.

"Wha-?" he began but I shushed him fervently.

As we held our breath, the voices grew to alarming decibels.

"But I must see her majesty!"

"The rabbit!" Demyx whispered.

"Shush!"

"Sorry…"

Another voice, a more formal, rose up.

"No one is to enter the west garden at this time."

"But it is paramount that I see the Queen! I am ever so late as it is!"

"I am sorry, but no one- wha- what is that!?"

"Quickly! To the safety of the garden!"

"The Heartless…" I muttered as the sound of hurried footfalls was eclipsed by the rumbling warp of darkness.

"Yeah, maybe we should just…" Demyx began but I yanked him to the open patch of grasses, glassy purple force fields blocking all the dimly lit exits. "RUN!"

"Oh no you don't-" I shoved him into the makeshift arena with me but I froze.

Before us, a Shadow rose nearly as high as the ceiling, its face a tangle of dark vines, shifting from foot to foot in the usual heartless manner. In its torso was a monumental hole in the shape of the heartless emblem, so large I could clearly see past it. My entire body felt weighted down by the sheer mass of the creature, fear spreading through me like venom. But this only lasted a brief moment before my hands flew to my weapons, an arrow poised for attack before Demyx could even fumble for his sitar.

Several arrows, shining silver in the bright light, pierced the giant Heartless in the face before reappearing in my quiver, a tactic that seemed to return to me. I had…

…_always been resourceful. Or at least that was what Cissa told me. My arrows returned to my quiver as I dropped to my knees before him. He was so battered and bludgeoned it brought tears to my eyes as I pulled him into my arms while he lay unconsciously. My heart heaved in my chest, threatening to burst. _

"_No…" I watched as my tears splattered across his stony face. "Lea… don't leave me! No!"_

_But before my eyes his heart, pulsing and crystal red rose from his unmoving form. My hands fumbled for it, but only to find that it was too quick. As it evaporated into the air, a Neo-Shadow warped beside me. _

_A low growl, primal and fierce, rose to a savage battle cry in my throat as I spun an arrow into place, the silver string of my bow groaning as I held it taut, my blistered fingers threatening to bleed at the sudden movement. _

_With a cry that threatened to tear my very soul from me, I watched silver fly. _

"Elexya! Hey! Lex!"

Snapping to attention, I felt waves of pain throb in my skull, but ignored it long enough to notice the Giant Heartless sinking into oblivion at my feet.

"Huh?" I blinked as it vanished.

"What was _that_?" Demyx came up beside me, from his hiding place behind me.

I felt my weapons dissipate, the silver evaporating in thin wisps. "What was what?"

"You… you just went ballistic on that thing!" Demyx hollered, his face a comical mix of shock, disbelief and excitement that he was still alive. "How did you do that?"

"Well," I bit my lip as another rolling growl from my indifferent stomach caught my attention, "Get me some food and maybe I'll talk…"

Grinning, he grabbed my hand and began racing towards the exit. Behind us I heard the voices from before gasping in surprise at the empty patch of grass. I tried to hold onto the memories that slipped from my conscious thought, but they were like passing droplets of rain that dripped past my grappling hands. A fading heart, I thought, and an aching sadness that resounded in my chest. What did all this mean?

But I was torn from my thoughts by another dark portal erupting from the tunnel once more. Grasping my friends' hand tighter, I shut my eyes tight as we descended into darkness.

A/N: I'm back! I deeply apologize for the wait. It was painful for me to wait and wait and wait for my computer to return to me. Also I had to download Microsoft Office (again). But my story is underway and the end is in sight! I hope this chapter is enough to satisfy until I am able to produce more (as all my documents were terminated in the process of fixing said computer). Please bear with me. Thanks to all the reviewers!

P.S. Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC characters and the plot, as always.


	16. Matters of the Heart

Chapter Thirteen: Matters of the Heart

**Axels' POV**

I lazily stretched my arms out before me once my door slid back into place behind me. Arching my back, I felt my aching muscles clench and unwind deliciously, the bones making up my spine crunching and popping noisily. Closing my eyes I sighed contently and made my way in the dark to my bed, too weary to think of much else but a long night's sleep. It was so dark I shuffled to my bed with steady, tentatively treading steps, shrugging my coat into a dark pool of leather at my feet.

Curling into place among my mussed up sheets, I wondered if I forgot to make them up that morning. Shaking these thoughts, I rested my head and breathed in deep breaths, sheathed in the scent of sharp citrus and sweet sea salt. Wait, where was Elexya?

I was answered by two thin arms draping around my waist, clutching me close to her cold, slumbering body. She was so frigid, I thought, pulsing heat through my hands as I traced her jaw with one hand, my other rubbing her temple soothingly. Hands, frail and delicate, balled themselves up with fistfuls of my shirt. Her legs tangled themselves with mine and I lay there drinking in the moment, pretending that she was really here, every piece of her. I froze when she groaned in her sleep, but relaxed when she merely nuzzled her face into the hollow of my throat, finding a pleasant warmth there.

It was hard not to miss her, even if I had no heart to do so with, but still something stirred within me, so close to my chest. It- it was her, her own heart thumping next to my chest, so close I could almost feel a fraction of the pain of her loss. Was this a feeling? Or just another memory of what it was to feel? But her heartbeat, it was strong, so loud and thunderous. It was unlike any I had heard before, like the strength of two hearts combined into one.

"Elexya…" I mumbled into her soft, feathery hair, drinking in her scent. "My Elexya… Come back to me…"

My breath melted the hard, concentrated expression on her face and I felt another stirring reverberate from her and linger in my chest. It was contentment, so gentle and quiet. An odd sensation welled in my eyes and I brought my gloved fingers to them for inspection.

Gazing in disbelief, I found several hot drops of liquid trailing down to my palm from my index finger. What was wrong with me? I felt alone suddenly, even with Elexya pressed so close to me. It was familiar, to be so isolated, like…

_... the entire world would move on without me, without a second glance or word. I gazed at my cell wall with contempt welling in my chest, my fingers busying themselves with tapping the metal bars I sat slumped against. I could hear the guards down the way, chatting aimlessly with gruff voices. But I was far away in my own mind, alone in a desolate land. _

_It was over; Isa was gone, lost to the darkness, his very essence extracted from him. Did he even have a soul to lose? My home was destroyed, my family long since gone from this life. Everything I knew was lost to me. And Elexya…_

_I was the first to hear it, with my slanted ears so perceptive. The guards were next to hear, their heavy boots thundering towards the center of the castle. They'd never get there on time, I estimated. The scream had been long and hallowed, tearing my thoughts away in those few seconds of agony. It was her, I could feel it. She was my soul mate after all. In my own heart I could feel it, the pain, the anxiety, the __fear__. _

_I was on my feet, summoning my Chakrams in seconds, the heat in my possession so searing my eyes could only see flickering flames before me. With a strength I could never have possessed before, I pushed all the power I held into my weapons and could audibly hear them boiling in my grasp as I pressed them into the thick, iron bars separating me from my love. _

_With a heavy sizzling, I felt the steel give way and I slashed at the remaining bars until I had made a suitable hole to escape through. The remaining metal dripped like magma as I passed, my body heat enough to melt the floor beneath me, leaving inch thick footprints as I ran. _

"_Elexya!" I cried over and over. It became a battle cry at my lips._

_I had to find her in time. I had to…_

**Elexya's POV:**

"_What is that thing?" I asked as he produced a limp, yellow star shaped object from his leather skin bag fastened to his waist. _

_It was bruised and slightly damaged looking as he presented it to me, his face somewhat prideful, as if he were presenting me with something of great importance. _

"_It's a paopu fruit." He answered as if it were completely obvious. "My island's fruit."_

_I stared at it, feeling the juices slosh under the thin sheath of dull yellow skin as I let it shift from my left to my right hand. "Oh."_

"_You have no idea what it is…"_

"_Mmhmm…"_

_We sat together under an abandoned street vendor's cart, the leather skin covering above our heads shielding us from the freshly falling snow. I would have been dangerously cold were it not for Lea and his enormous cloak, which he graciously shared with me, entangling us closer together. _

"_I took it with me," He whispered, taking the dying fruit from my grasp and tracing patterns across it with his soft fingertips. He had such gentle hands. "When I left the Southern Kingdom, or at least what was left of it."_

"_I didn't know the Southern Kingdom had islands."_

"_We did. Several. They were gorgeous. It never rained and the sun was shining at all hours of the day. You would've loved it there."_

_There was a long silence in which the snow fell and I watched throngs of smiling people wander by. _

"_You took it with you… all those years ago?" I asked in wonder. "How did it keep?"_

"_I wonder that myself sometimes." He smiled. "There's a legend about them, y'know?"_

_When I didn't answer he continued._

"_They told us that it had certain powers." He stopped tracing patterns and gazed into my eyes soulfully with those deep orbs of acid green. "That if you share one with someone you truly care about, you'll be with one another forever, in one way or another. Your fates are entwined."_

"_That's impossible." I felt my face slip into an incredulous grin. "A fruit can't dictate your destiny."_

_But instead of returning my sentiments, his eyes turned downcast and his face fell dramatically. Pain flashed across those steely eyes and it shot a wave of electricity through my veins. _

"_But," I hastened to pacify him. "Why did you show this to me?"_

_There was a lengthy pause, in which my eyes watched the snow drifting about, turning many passing faces bright red and raw. _

"_I…" He started slowly, his face lifting to meet my gaze, his own eyes so startlingly calculating. "I know why I kept it all this time. Why it stayed alive with me."_

_His hand, slowly at first, as so not to frighten me, rose to caress the planes of my face, those fiery fingers melting the cold from my cheeks. Those emerald eyes never left mine, even as his hand ventured down towards my shoulders, brushing gently across my collarbone before retracting as I took a swift gulp of air. My skin ached from his touch, not painful, but unsatisfied, as if nothing in the world could cure this ailment but more of him, all of him. I took a shuttering breath._

"_Why?" I breathed, my breath leaving my lips of white wisps that tickled his chin. _

_As his lips dipped down to collide with my own, I lifted my hands to clutch his shirt in fervent fistfuls. We had kissed before, several times in fact, but never like this. Never with this sense of freedom, of solitude and seclusion. Without the fear of someone rounding the corner and discovering this forbidden pleasure, this vice of theirs. _

_We paused for breath several times, his liquid fire lips returning to mine momentarily each time for more. My eyes rolled back into my skull and adrenaline flooded my entire being, sending tendrils of warmth. His hands cupped my face, trailed along my shoulders and back, held me close. My own hands fiercely held onto him, never leaving him, holding his arms, clutching his shirt, gripping his back. _

_This was love, pure, untouched, unforced love. The kind the elderly women of the court whisper about and the young duchesses and countesses covet. The kind of love people like me could never possess. _

"_I want to share it with you…" He whispered, leaning his forehead into mine, his entire body steaming white in the frigid air. _

"_What?" I let my eyes search each of his, noticing the slight differences in the coloring of each. _

"_I need to share it with you, Elexya." _

_Taking the fruit in his hands, Lea made no hesitations in tearing the fibers completely in two. Juices ran down his hands and dripped to the ground below us. My eyes were wide when he passed me a half, the heady scent of sugar reaching my nose. _

_Gazing down at it, I knew what he was asking, even if he could not say it. He was asking me for a next life with him, where our destinies would collide and we could be together. This brought heavy tears to my eyes, the images of us together somewhere far away, another world of sunlight and freedom where we could be together. Lifting the squashed flesh of the strong smelling fruit to my lips, I tasted the painfully sweet juices upon my tongue. _

_Watching each other, mimicking, we bit deeply into our handfuls of fruit. The sticky, slick juices ran from our hands to our forearms, coating us. Taking mouthfuls, we finished briefly and let our empty fingers entwine between us. There was no feeling of divine majesty, only the heat I felt from his hands and the way our lips crept forward to meet. _

_Just then an alien sound erupted around us and I launched myself into Lea's arms, burying my face in the comfort of his torso. While the crashes and the whirs swirled around us, I felt his hands rub my arms soothingly and his chest bounced against my head rhythmically. _

"_Elexya, Elexya look!" He cried as I lifted my face from him cautiously. _

_All around us sparks of fire erupted into blasts of grey smoke. Far above us, however, thin trails of the same smoke burst into magnificent blooms of sparkling color. Captivated by the sheer splendor of it, I hardly felt Lea's lips brush against my ear._

"_They're fireworks." He breathed, holding me close so I rested in his lap while we watched together. _

_Letting my arms rest atop his own as I sat with my back to his chest, he played with my hands absentmindedly. _

_But at that moment, I felt it. The sense residing in the back of one's skull, the one that told when one was being watched. I ignored it at first, but as a hunter at heart, one cannot hold back the instinct. It was primal. _

"_Lea." I tried to turn around but he held me in place. "Lea, someone is watching us. I know it."_

"_Impossible." He muttered, enthralled with the fireworks as much as I. "We're safe, Lex, trust me."_

"_But Lea," I tried to reason, but his grip on my hands became pleadingly tight._

"_Lex, don't." He pressed his lips to my hair, breathing deeply. "Just relax. Let me memorize you… Please?"_

"_Alright." I leaned back, defeated, and resolved to stifle the urge to glance behind us._

_Settling into the rhythm of his heartbeat thumping at the back of my skull, I felt my breaths beginning to steady. _

"Lea…Lea…" I mumbled, my eyes fluttering open, transfixed upon something shifting before my gaze. "Lea? Who's Lea?"

My mind struggled to regain sanity, the name still pounding in my skull, like the steady rhythm of a heart beating. Who was Lea? Why was I talking in my sleep? Did I do that often? Well, I thought dreadfully, it's technically not the first time I've gone insane.

By now my eyes focused upon the swirls of pale and black, turning them into a black clad chest rising and falling before me. This would have startled me, had I not been so warmed by it. It was like slipping on an old, nearly forgotten sweater and curling your arms into its comfort. My legs were entangled in two others, like two boiling furnaces sending rippling warmth to me. While my arms were curled with my hands clasped together under my chin, two foreign arms cradled me close to the breathing chest. That's when my gaze shifted skywards.

Gasping, I watched as Axels slumbering face leaned down towards mine, his lips parted slightly in the midst of sleep. We should not have been like this, was the first thought to emerge in my hazy mind. This was wrong. This was strange.

Than why did it feel right?

It felt as if someone had set fire to my heart, as it was working twice as hard to keep up with my racing thoughts. We fit perfectly together, like two uneven pieces of one perfect puzzle. My mind begged me to leap from the bed, screaming and kicking, while my chest heaved in protest at the thought. Conflicted, I let my face rest back into the hollow of his throat, finding inhumanly hot skin caressing my forehead there.

This… this was right… I thought to myself in incoherent thoughts… this was right… this was… was where I belonged… where he… belonged… us… together… _again_…

**A/N: Thanks again to all the reviewers who stuck by patiently when the future of this fic was looking rather grim. Sorry it's taking me so long to update, life waits for no one I suppose… But don't worry, the end is in sight! Which is a rather bittersweet notion for me… More to come soon. Expect an update or two this weekend. I wanted this chapter to be more about Elexya and Lea, the struggle and the bond that they share. Use the paopu fruit as much as you want as a reason Elexya and Axel met up again, I leave that solely up to the reader. Thanks again and don't forget to review!!! **


	17. Silver and Cinnamon

Chapter Fourteen: Silver and Cinnamon

The next few days flew by me in a constant blur of motion. I would awake to an empty room, without even the slightest trace of evidence that Axel had been slumbering next to me. Then I would make my drowsy way into the bathroom to freshen up. Shocked awake by the steamy water, I emerged pure and revitalized as Demyx would be waiting for me, always plopped down on the bed, sloth-like and impossibly passive.

We would spend the time we had, or rather wasting it, running amok about the castle like two moonstruck children, and while Demyx preferred plucking the life out of his sitar, I pleaded for and won several attempts at sparring. As it turned out, I had more than a hunter's instinct; I was also a skilled combatant. Although there were a few occasions in which his own brute force would nearly match my nimble, fluid attacks.

"Elexya…" Demyx panted as we both doubled over from exhaustion, caught in a heated stalemate in the Hall of Empty Melodies. "The Agile Guardian…"

"What's that… all about?" I gasped for breath myself, my hands resting upon my bent knees.

I look of apprehension flashed across his eyes and had I not examined them as closely, it would have never caught my attention.

"Dem… what do you mean?" I asked, straightening myself and observing him pointedly.

He gave a sloppy grin and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Nothing, just a nickname, that's all."

But that wasn't all, or at least it didn't seem that way to me. I kept it to myself, but that moment kept replaying in my head the entire day, over and over again. Try as I may, the notion that it was more than a nickname crept into my conscious. The Agile Guardian, I pondered it. What was I guarding?

Each night I returned to Axels' quarters, wary of any unwanted guests that may come peeling down the halls to arrest me, as was Axels' greatest fear it seemed. Sometime each night, as I lay in a dark slumber, I would awake noiselessly to the sound of the metal door sliding open with a thin whoosh. The center of the mattress would shift, causing me to inadvertently roll into his arms, warm, content. I never knew if he was aware of my conscious state. I doubted it, especially the nights when his lips would murmur in my ear, hushed sleep talk.

"Elexya…" He would always start with my name. "We're bonded… next life… someday… in the next life…"

The next life. He always spoke of the next life, in the fashion that a small child might describe a dream. His face would contort in a multitude of fast acting emotions, ranging anywhere from elation to hysterical desperation. I knew of course that none of these emotions were real, just faded memories of what feelings were. Demyx had explained the ways of the Nobodies to me as well as he could.

One night Axels' voice was so pleading, so helplessly disheartened; I couldn't help but take his face in my hands and observe it with my own crinkling in dismay. My fingers splayed across his jaw line and his skin was eerily balmy to the touch. Without second thought, mostly due to my lack of sleep, I dipped my lips down and pressed them gingerly to his feverish forehead. Thankfully, he did not stir, but his anxiety seemed to lessen.

"Shh…" I hushed, cooing so softly to him in the dark. "Axel… shhh… it's alright… I'm right here… it's alright…"

As well as calming him, my voice caused his arms to constrict around me even tighter than usual, nearly stifling me. But I only curled into the heat like a moth to the flame. His breath on my cheek was a cross between cinnamon and ashy embers, tickling my nose. It was always in those last moments of bliss that I would drift away…

"_He never came…" I whispered to myself, gazing out at the window at the full moon, cursing it for things I could not change. _

_Collapsed at the windowsill, my white silk dress smoothed under my fervent hands, my eyes threatened to smear my makeup with rogue tears. Wiping them away, I gave a half hearted laugh at the thought of the two of us actually running away together. _

_I smiled wryly through the pain of abandonment. "I was getting my hopes up for nothing… He's smart, not to come. They would have found us anyways… He knows I'm not worth risking his neck. And how can I blame him?"_

_Because he left me, I thought. _

"_I love him…" I breathed, mournful._

_As I blinked more surfacing tears from clouding my vision, I snapped my head towards something that caught my eye. Something red._

_There, sitting innocently upon my vanity was a ruby red rose, at full peak of bloom and alive as any living rose could be. Heaving a dry sob, I clamored to it, clutching it to my breast as if it may evaporate in my grasp. Breathing in the scent of cinnamon and spice and ash, I smelled him as if he were all around me. _

_Taking several breaths, I felt flushed and a strange mix of satiated and hungering for more, more of him. _

_Just then my doors were thrust open and I slipped the thorn-less rose into the folds of my dress between the fitted bodice and the skirts, in a little hidden pocket the seamstress had cleverly sewn in for me. _

_Into my room a grand little procession entered and one by one all of my servants marched in solemnly. Well, these had all been my friends, I thought wryly, but the title meant little to me. At the end of the party, the Lady in Waiting emerged in full command of the scene. I knew what was to occur. _

_To each member of the procession I held out my hand for them to plant a chaste kiss to my knuckles. I would thank each for their service and that would be the end of it. _

_I let a small, hidden smile creep to my face when I held out my hand to Royu. His playful golden eyes grinned back at me as he released my hand. In the coming spring he would have finally collected a sum handsome enough to build a home for him and a wife along the outskirts of the capitol city. It was his dream to marry the lucky young woman, their love was boundless and he planned to treat her to a life of comfort and freedoms one could never have here in the Castle._

_He was proposing to Cissa, tonight. _

_The only moment that I nearly lost composer was when Cissa took my hand and gave it a squeeze as she kissed it. _

"_I thank you, Miss Cissa, for your service." I nodded imperiously to my lifelong friend._

_Cissa regarded me with the same level of aloof indifference. "Of course, Princess Elexya."_

_Under the scrutiny of my Lady in Waiting we said our parting words. Unbeknownst to her, Cissa and I had relayed our tearful goodbyes the night before with the foresight of this moment, when I would make my way to the Castle chapel to say my vows and be spirited away to the Eastern Kingdom without so much as a farewell glance back at my home. _

"_Very well then." The Lady announced after Cissa and I shared a brief moment of regarding one another, our eyes shining with unshed tears. "Your nuptials grow near, your Highness, I we may?"_

_She gestured to the door and I suppressed a shudder. This was the last time I would set foot in my own bedroom. The next time I had a bed, I would be sharing it. No, not even that, I would be a guest to said bed, not truly the master. _

"_We shall." I nodded, grasping handfuls of my flowing white skirts and praying I did not tumble over in my tortuous heels. _

_I had made a point never to remember the Lady's name, simply referring to her as her title. It was, in a small, rather insignificant, way a decision to never give her the upper hand in my mind. To me she was a title, a few cold, harsh words, and little else. _

_I kept my gaze apathetic, trying to mask the sound of my heart thundering with the snap of my heels over the marble floors. Chin high; I entered the chapel with my Lady lifting my train while an attendant flipped my lace veil over my face._

_As if to ease my nerves, a last sentiment of amiability, Lady whispered to me. "You were born for this."_

_This was little comfort to me._

_An arm was produced in my now hazy vision and I slipped my hand into the crook of it. It was my father, strong and dressed in royal splendor for his daughter's wedding. He pressed my palm with his hand, our secret sign of affection, and I bit back a sob. I wanted to break down and spill my every secret to him, coming clean and begging for forgiveness and a chance at true love for Lea and I. _

_But I held back, startled as the formal wedding anthem was struck up by the Kingdom's symphony. I was lost amongst a sea of blurry faces and white and blood red décor. The grand chapel had a ceiling nearly as tall and the highest tower in the castle and every note ricocheted off the farthest corners. _

_I counted my footsteps one by one to keep from tripping, and before I knew it I was presented at the altar. Without warning I was veil-less and my eyes blinked unbecomingly in the bright candlelight. The stout preacher stood before Isa and I, his face stern and eerily disconcerting. _

_Isa took both my hands and I felt a shiver run up my spine as the preacher's voice rang out clear and loud once the music died down. I did not listen to the words, for I was too lost in the rising thought of buzzing in my ears. My heart pounded and I searched Isa's eyes for some sign of reassurance. But I only found his normally passive amber eyes to be filled with something foreign, something between possessive and smug malevolence. It seeped from him like a poison, I could practically feel it oozing from his hands and filling my veins with adrenaline. _

_Something was off, I thought, regarding those eyes. His mouth was twisted in a definite smirk. Out of instinct I jerked my hands away, only to find his grip was vice-like, his fingers were steel bars. The preacher paused and Isa growled something and nodded, his malicious eyes never leaving mine for an instant. _

_I was caught in something of a trance, my eyes fastened to his with inhuman force. It was then I noticed the silence that flooded the chapel, and the multitude of eyes-_

_-fixated upon me. _

"_Say your right words, Elexya." Isa grunted, a low, guttural sound._

_His face was enveloped in a sheath of thin shadowy mist, like a vapor that poured from his eyes and mouth, wrapping him in darkness. _

"_I…" I felt my mind grow blank. _

_My mind was erased of all logical thought, lost in a sea of the swirling darkness that engulphed Isa. None of the congregation seemed to notice this strange presence over Isa. _

_But after a brief pause my mind shifted of its own accord- to bright green eyes, pearly teeth, sharp features and bright ruby red hair. The scent of cinnamon and ash filled my nostrils and I knew the rose in my skirts was being crushed by the trembling of my legs, but simultaneously causing Lea's scent to reach me. Like a beacon of light, I found myself filled with a newfound strength. _

_I was a warrior. _

"_No!" I shoved Isa's hands away, stepping back as a roar of whispered flooded the crowd. _

"_Elexya…" Isa advanced towards me, glowing in violet and black darkness, eyes ablaze. _

_I evaded him easily, shouting and throwing my hands up in a fighting stance._

"_Isa- I can't marry you!" I tried to reason, the masses of attendants too shocked to make a move._

"_Ungrateful little vermin!" He roared, spirals of darkness, tendrils of evil, whipping from his torso, snuffing every candle and renting the chapel in complete darkness, save for the menial light pooling in from the full moon._

_Cries of horror rose up like a deadly chorus of fear as figures of darkness began to appear out of the shadows. _

"_Heartless!" Someone screamed. _

_Taking this opportunity, I kicked off my shoes and raced up the aisle, turning to watch in terror as the Shadows began their torturous dance, taking no time at all in ripping out the hearts of the onlookers. One in particular instant, a Shadow leapt upon my father and tore his heart from his chest in seconds. My hands flew to my mouth to stifle a scream but still it tore from my throat. _

_Gorged upon hearts, the Shadows scrambled in throngs to satiate their rising desire. One set its wretched gaze upon me and in an instant my weapons appeared at my aid and I sent a silver arrow through its forehead. _

_I knew there were too many for me to vanquish, so with a heavy heart I left the chapel, using every muscle in my body to shut the monstrous double doors solidly. _

"_Worthless!" _

_I spun around and found Isa standing across the grand hall from me, his muscles straining against his neck in visible veins. He was tense, taking a stance liken to a crouching lion about to savagely tear apart its prey. A cold shiver ran down my spine but I held my bow firmly in my left hand, the scent of Lea lingering in my conscious. I could do it, I thought, just one sliver of a second and there would be a silver arrow protruding from his chest._

_Right through the heart. _

_As if of their own accord, my hands flew to action, silver slung through the air like a hurricane. In one blink, I watched as my thoughts bloomed into reality as the edge of my arrow stuck from his torso, piercing the skin with a sickening slice. _

_I waited for his eyes to roll back, his body to slump to the floor, I waited…one…two…three heartbeats thumping in my head._

_A low chuckle stirred in his throat, the arrow trembling within him as I shook. With mechanical movement, he grabbed the edge and with one sharp tug it was twirled in his fingers elegantly, not a trace of blood. Only darkness, dripping from the tip. _

"_A worthy attempt…" He snickered, his golden eyes glittering dangerously. _

_Tipping his chin down ever so slightly, he dropped the arrow to the floor where it clattered noisily._

"_My turn."_

_With a deafening scream that threatened to tear my soul from me, I saw a flash of gold and darkness rushing towards me._

"Elexya… Elexya!"

Snapping my eyes open, I gulped and found my throat raw and throbbing.

"Wh-what?" I croaked feebly, two tense arms wrapped around me tight.

"You were having a nightmare." Axel crooned softly, letting me tremble against him. "I had to wake you. You were screaming."

"Oh." I nodded, swallowing and letting him rub my arms reassuringly.

We were sitting in bed, the first time either of us were awake together, and the awkwardness I felt would occur in such a situation did not surface. There was only fear. Fear of a dream I was forgetting fast.

"A chapel…" I whispered, feeling Axel grow rigid against me. "Gold eyes… Darkness… so much darkness… coming right at me!"

Tears leaked out my eyes and I buried my face in his chest, sobbing and wishing only to forget the nightmare entirely.

"Axel…" I whimpered like a child.

Hesitantly, he leaned his face down into my hair, breathing deeply and soothingly. "Yes?"

"Just… Just hold me." It came out as more of a question.

As if to answer me, we stayed clasped to one another like this for hours, with me falling apart in his ever steady arms. The scent of a dying fire and spices lulled me into deep breaths, my tears staining his black nightshirt, dried on my face. The fear of sleep kept me awake, my body otherwise lax and pacified in his arms. I never looked at his face then, but if I did I supposed I would find his face indifferent as always, gazing down upon me with those burning, toxic green eyes.

**Axels' POV:**

I stared down upon her with my own eyes filled with moisture that I could never explain. My face was contorted in pain for her. I knew by now that my very presence near her was causing these painful memories to plague her, I could hear her heart thudding against me so loudly and desperate it was agony to my ears.

It was then when a strange thing occurred. The cold, desolate place in my chest where my heart had once beat with life, it began to pulse. Motionless, I did not want to frighten Elexya with any sudden movements. A thudding of my own began to beat in my chest, alive and throbbing with pain.

'Weird.' I thought to myself, breathing deeply of her hair, the scent of midnight ocean breezes and lemon. 'This memory is strong…'

The pulse did not fade, as memories often did, nor did it leave in throbbing echoes after my mind had moved elsewhere. It only dissipated when I crept out of bed; sure that Elexya was peacefully slumbering once more. As I shrugged on my coat and prepared to report for duty, leaning against the doorframe I watched her sleep, the intense beating in my hollow cavity began to fade away.

'Crazy…' I thought, turning and striding down the hall, the icy hold of apathy retaking me with every step. 'With a capital C…'

**A/N: Okay, so my update was a little delayed, but it is here! Sorry for the lack of length, but I hope this adds to the approaching climax. More to come soon. Oh, and thanks to the reviewers- what would I do without you? **

**This chapter in particular was inspired (the end of it anyways) by the new 30 Seconds to Mars song Alibi in their new album This is War. Listen to it on YouTube, very emotional song. **

**Disclaimer: Same as always. I only own my OC characters and the plot. If the rights to Kingdom Hearts ever came up in an auction, you know I'd be there. But alas, I do not own KH, nor will I ever… *little tear* Besides, if I did, you KNOW Axel would never have died!**

**Peace.**


	18. Hurricane

Chapter Fifteen: Hurricane

I tried to retain something of a routine daily, but something was always off. There was a presence, a tremor of uncertainty in the back of my head, like a shadow creeping by at every turn. I remained calm as possible, but my somber mood seemed to irk Demyx, my only friend in this place. Well, save for Axel, but even he seemed reserved himself at the moment.

The dreams had not plagued me in so long it began to concern me more than they ever had when present. Not that they had ever made anything much of themselves, just scattered jumbles of images too fleeting to grasp. Little details torn from an elaborate tapestry I just couldn't see.

"Demyx," I broke the silence one day as we both sat together upon the peak of one of the skyscrapers in the World That Never Was, "Do you remember much about your past life? Y'know, your Somebody?"

His swinging legs came to rest as he paused to regard me. I could not see his expression, for our hoods were flipped up to keep dry in the eternal downpour around us. The entire city, or rather a hollow shell of one, was a gruesome blur of bruising blue and black and endless, endless rain.

"No." His normally jovial voice was at once blank and indifferent, but somehow I still didn't believe him.

I sighed and drew my knees to my chest, clasping my hands together around them. "I wish I did…"

"You're not a Nobody." Demyx pointed out, playing with raindrops with the tips of his fingers, making them dance through the air in swift little maneuvers.

"No," I concurred, "But… I had a past life… I just know it."

"Oh, yeah?" He responded just a little too casually.

Raising a brow, I watched his every movement carefully, calculatingly. "I'm sure of it. I… I have these visions, there's like dreams… It's like I'm picking out broken pieces of who I was, but I'm blindfolded."

I hadn't confided in anyone about my dreams, fearing they would think me insane. But Demyx didn't seem to mind, he went about his business of shooting his puppet raindrops from his palms, like little water soldiers.

"Pretty heavy stuff." He tilted his head back and I waited for him to reassure me I wasn't crazy, that I must have had a past life. "This rain is making my coat so heavy- look!"

I felt tears brim at my eyes, feeling desolate and isolated once again. Under my hood they fell, safely away from Demyx's notice. But my misery was short lived, however, when a sort of quasi-water ball, liken to a snowball, splashed against my face.

"Hey, lighten up Lex!" He called, halfway across the building.

At least he was using his brain, I thought to myself wryly, already halfway running towards him to give him a piece of my mind.

**Axels' POV:**

"Axel." Saix called, standing in the grey area, his golden eyes sharp as razor blades.

I summoned a lighthearted grin and sauntered forward. "What d'ya need, boss?"

Saix regarded me a moment and I hoped that he could not sense my palms beginning to moisten, something that rarely happened to a fire-being. His jaw was set tight, something in me was boiling and I ran a hand through my hair to relieve some of the tension swelling in my gut.

"Something is different about you…" He began to circle me with clipped steps, eyes trailing me up and down slowly and I…

…I felt _anger_. I truly felt it, pluming in my core like steam rising. No memory could ever hold the semblance of seething venom in my veins. It was like a poison, but I was too shocked to make any sense of it.

"I don't know what _you're_ talking about, Looney." I practically heard him hiss at the sound of my little nickname.

Saix pressed his face forwards, getting so close I could watch his pupils contract and expand while observing me. "You're hiding something… Lea."

My hands instinctively curled into fists at my true name slipping from his lips. There was no one else around, I could sense it. No one would know, nor care, if the second in command suddenly disappeared. There would be questions, but no one would truly mind. Not even big bad number I himself.

"I make it my every intension to find out what…" Saix growled, practically gnashing his teeth.

He drew back and began to disperse into the shadows of the hall.

"Sure thing, Isa." I said through my clenched jaw, watching his every muscle tense at the sound of his own name.

His cold footsteps were the last things to resonate in my head while my hands flew to my chest. Was is… could it really be… a pulse?

_I was running faster than I could ever remember running in my entire existence. My feet flew over the luxurious marble flooring, my footprints sinking into it with every gliding step. I knew my face was practically on fire, but nothing mattered anymore._

_Nothing but her. _

_I only hesitated at a low, primal growl, no, __laughter__, resonating below me ahead._

_Clutching the banister, I froze as Isa glanced up at me from outside the doors of the chapel. But his gaze was brief, yet pointed. It said simply, maliciously: You're going to watch this, Brother._

_Before him stood my love, trembling like a delicate lily in her wedding gown. I blinked as a silver arrow was cast seemingly out of thin air, Elexya's bow and quiver suddenly at her disposal. But it would not be enough, I wanted to call to her, nothing so trivial would destroy him. I knew that the moment I revealed myself, it would all be over, he would end her. _

_Plucking the arrow from where it rested in his torso, Isa spoke so low I only caught the tail end of his mutterings._

"_My turn." He hissed, poised to kill. _

_It all happened so fast from that moment. All was a blur of marble white and passing scenery as I launched myself from my perch above them, crying out thunderously. But I was too late, as he reached her a fraction of a second before I. As his hands gripped her wrists, I tackled him to the floor. _

_Her head smacked against the marble with a sickening crack. _

_My heart withered. _

"_Isa!" I roared, watching him disappear in a mist of darkness beneath me. _

_Beating my clenched fist into the floor, I left a burning dent._

"_Ooooh…." _

_I was startled by a low moan behind me. Spinning around on my hands and knees, I leaped at Elexya, cradling her, unconscious, to me. _

"_Elexya…" I felt tears welling in my eyes. "I'm so sorry… This is all my fault… Please forgive me."_

_Her face remained frozen, though her pulse was strong._

"_I have to make this right."_

_Laying her gently down, I snapped my fingers as a wall of flames encircled her from a safe distance. Nothing would be touching what was mine. With my rage renewed ever more, I closed my eyes, sensing him, locating him._

_I snapped my eyes open and sprinted onward. _

_I fought blindly, Shadow after Shadow falling at the sting of my Chakrams. My rage was such that my glare burned them to ash where the stood. My breath caught fire and my lungs filled with black smoke. All was red. _

"_Isa!" I roared, bursting into the throne room. "Isa! Show yourself! Isa!"_

_Even my voice was blazing, filling the air with unbearable heat. _

"_Calm yourself, Brother," Isa sat lazily at the throne, his legs thrown over it, inspecting his cuticles with half closed eyelids. "This doesn't become you in the least. What will poor Elexya think?"_

"_I will destroy you." I seethed._

_Low chuckles escalated into sadistic rolling laughter. Isa's eyes were a mix of flickering gold and black, one and then the other. I was losing him, but to me he was already gone. _

"_We shall see." Isa stood tall, regal almost. It sickened me._

"_We shall see."_

I stood, frozen in place where I stood, feeling the empty cavity where my heart once beat pulse with a strange hollow tinge. It was like a dead animal jolting reflexively. Confusion clouded my vision and I stumbled towards the hallways, clutching my forehead. I had to regain control. I had to keep it together. I was a Nobody. I was nothing. I was nothing without her, and now I would never get her back.

**Elexya's POV:**

Soaked and gasping for breath, Demyx and I reached Axels' room. We burst through the door, each wearing a grin of frivolity. I shoved him roughly but playfully, watching him fall forward with a exaggerated dramatic display of sprawled limbs, wide azure eyes and gaping mouth. As he tumbled into a heap on the floor, my giggled came to an abrupt halt.

Demyx watched my face turn pale and hard, cocking his head to the side. "Hey! Earth to Lex! Hey- what's your deal-?"

Turning his head around, his face fell and in a swift jerking motion he scrambled to his feet, waving goodbye to me as he sprang out the door.

There was a stiff silence in the room, so stifling I heard my own heart pounding in my head…one…two…three beats. Axel stood before his window, solemn and frozen in place. Even without seeing his face, I knew from his body language, something I had learned studiously over my time with him, enough to see he was in pain.

"Axel…" I whispered, watching him flinch noticeably.

Taking cautious steps, I stood behind him, reaching out my hand but I could not seem to muster the courage to touch him. My fingertips hovering a hair's breath away from his forearm. Only the sound of my shallow breaths filled the air and I watched as he took a deep breath.

I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry, and tried again. "Axel… Please, tell me what's wrong."

But my pleas made no dent in his steely gaze as he leered at the small glowing moon in the sky, his orbs of emerald dark as night. I wracked my brains and felt a primal thought press to my lips.

Taking action, I stepped in front of him and forcefully took his face in my hands, watching his eyes slide close, his balmy breath reaching my face. Pausing to take a shaky breath, I summoned my strength and continued.

"Lea…" I tried, unsure of what would happen.

Perhaps I had delved into insanity…

This was my last thought before I was crushed against Axels' frail, hard chest, my head cradled against it with his palm at my cheek. I felt his body tremble and felt drops of boiling hot liquid drip down onto the crown of my head.

He was crying.

"Elexya…" He breathed unsteadily. "Is it really you?"

"Yes." I lied, not sure of what to do, but not wanting to deepen his wounds. "I'm really here, Lea."

He pushed me back, gripping my arms and keeping me at arm's length, looking me over. I tried my best to gaze lovingly into his eyes, feeling the emotions flow to my eyes like water gushing from the unhallowed remains of a dam. It was so simple, displaying the foreign feelings I felt, giving them to him like little baubles. With gloved hands he swept stray locks of my hair from my face and tucked them securely behind my ear, leaning down and hesitating.

To my surprise, his lips hovered just above mine, as if asking permission, testing me. Without caution, I abandoned my apprehensions and tilted my chin up, pressing my lips to his and feeling my world catch fire. He moved so quickly, desperately, as if he were a drowning man and I were his last breath of air. My hands clutched his coat, drawing him closer as if they had minds of their own, as if they hungered for him. His own slid from my face to my shoulders, then running down my back soothing, searing.

"I thought…" He said between fervent kisses he pressed to all corners of my face. "I'd never have you again. Don't ever leave me."

"Never." I swore, taking his face in my palms and gazing into his eyes. A deep, primal stirring in my soul purred with unsuppressed pleasure.

"Promise me." He demanded, his eyes turning possessive, hostile, almost.

"Cross my heart." I appeased him, losing all logical thought in those smoldering eyes.

He pressed his forehead to mine and closed his eyes, letting forth a tremendous sigh of obvious relief. Suddenly, the effects of my still wet and clinging clothes overcame me, causing several shivers to roll up my spine.

"You're freezing." Axel declared, rubbing my arms and guiding me to the bathroom. "I finally got you back, no use in turning you into a Popsicle."

I laughed softly but wondered how long I could keep up this act. I only knew so much from my dreams of who Elexya was. Now I knew for sure that Lea was Axel. But how? Lea was Axels' Somebody. The answer had been staring me in the face all along. But what happened to them? There was a conflict, something my fleeting images did not convey to me. But what?

I pondered this pensively while immersed in a steaming hot bath, not caring how red my skin became. After I stepped out, I threw on my white shift and crept out into Axels' dimly lit bedroom. What would happen now that he thought I was my former self again, if I was in fact this Elexya?

"Elexya," Axel called from where he lay in bed, his voice stirring a heat in my heart, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," I smiled, genuine and reassuringly, "I'm just so happy, that's all."

Reaching the edge of the bed, I slipped in and rested my head gently next to him. Almost immediately his arms found me, pulling me to him. Nuzzling into his neck, I sighed and held onto him. I could feel him breathing, smelling my hair, like I were some swaying summer flower and he the charming passerby bee.

"Goodnight, Lea." I whispered against the hollow of his throat, feeling the warmth bubble within me, daring to escape. "I… I love you."

He paused a moment, and my stomach did a back flip, wondering if what I said was too much. It did not settle into my ears like a lie would have, so I hoped he would understand.

"If I had a heart to love with right now…" Axel began, carefully handpicking his words. "I would love you too."

Nodding slightly, I felt my heart pinch a bit at his words. Well, I thought, it was enough for now.

**A/N: Bum Bum BUM!! So close to the end! Just have to find my climactic center to finish this story off winningly. Reviews help… *hint hint***

**Thank you to Azores, your reviews are always insightful, and not to mention helpful. Nothing seems to escape you!**

**Thanks to all the reviewers. **

**Disclaimer: Seriously, must I keep this up? I own nothing but my OC Characters and the plot. **

**More to come soon,**

**P.R.**


	19. Running Out of Time

Chapter Sixteen: Time is Running Out

"_Lea?" I breathed, too terrified to raise my voice loud enough to be somewhat audible. _

_As soon as my arrow left my grip, I looked into those hollow electric orbs and watched them flash emerald for one brilliant moment, like a shaft of glorious sunlight through a cracked ceiling. _

_The arrow pierced the center of the NeoShadow, sending it reeling and grappling at thin air. Tears rose to my eyes and I dropped my weapons, tossing them aside as if they burned my very skin to the touch. _

_Rushing forwards, I dropped to my knees and enveloped the flailing Shadow in my arms, lulling it to silence with soft whispers. Cradling its head in my palm, I felt it melt into my touch, and I knew Lea was still within this poor dying creature. _

"_Lea… I'm sorry…" I sobbed. "I am so sorry!"_

_In my very hands he began to fade, a slow process in which his very essence, now shrouded in darkness, started to evaporate all around me. Sobbing harder, I felt my heart rip itself in two, falling a thousand feet within me. _

"_No! No- Lea!" I gasped, feeling him slip from my grasp, my heart suddenly thundering, stronger than ever. _

_My heart beat wildly in my chest and I wondered if it was seizing up or if it had always been this strong. He was gone, leaving no trace of existence. Yet I still felt him, in my heart. It was unlike anything I had ever felt. He was gone, but I felt his presence within me…_

"_No…" I bit my lip until it spilt blood, dribbling down my pale chin. "Lea…"_

_Leaning back on my heels, I numbly summoned my quiver of arrows and selected one, the brightest. From the folds of my skirt I drew my red, red rose and held it to my lips, breathing in his heady scent._

"_We'll be together…" I vowed. "In the next life."_

_Gripping the slender arrow tightly in my palm, I made one last silent prayer, to no one in particular, and plunged the tip of quicksilver deep into my chest._

I awoke in a cold sweat, dripping and sitting up next to Lea… Axel, where he lay slumbering. Tugging the sheets from my legs, I stumbled to the bathroom and gripped the edge of the sink, my world spinning beneath me. Gazing up, I winced, I looked frightful. Dark purple half circles caressed the bottoms of my eyes and my lip had a nasty gash, bleeding down my chin.

Washing the dried blood away, I splashed myself awake with the warm water and found my blue dress, throwing it over my shift. Combing my hair to relieve a snarl of growing apprehension, I slipped out the door and watched Axel sleep.

His face was more at ease than I had ever seen it. There were no traces of crinkles in his brow, nor did his mouth screw up in its usual smirk or scowl. It was like watching a child sleep, so quiet, so peaceful.

Shrugging on my coat, I drew the hood up and took a deep breath. Since his sleep was so deep, I supposed he had no conscious power over the door, as it slid open willingly under my ginger touch. I needed to pace somewhere and who knows how long I could take it in Axels' room by now. My bare feet made no sound over the cold metal floor and I slipped through the halls like a midnight wraith.

My tongue toyed absentmindedly with my wound, poking and prodding it until at last it bled once again, forcing me to blot the fiery liquid with my coat sleeve. I made my way past the usual halls and sauntered through the Hall of Empty Memories, past the infamous Grey Area Axel talked so much about, and wandered into a place I had never seen before.

It was a circular room, all ivory white and silver grey with thrones stationed all around me, some higher than others. It was like a strange round table, minus the table. Treading forth, I walked upon the center circle, the Organization insignia beneath my feet. The thrones were each too tall for me to even consider climbing to the top of the lowest one. Rubbing my arms, I felt a sudden chill run up my spine.

"Who might we have here?"

**Axels' POV:**

_I limped to the door, Isa lying on the cold marble floor behind me, both of us breathing heavily. He had begged for his life, like a weakling, and I had granted it. My body was spent in every way imaginable. He had practically ripped out my life source by the time we hit a firm stalemate. Then, in the heat of battle, I heard the gentle rustle of Elexya's heart in the back of my head, and I knew she was still alive. _

_This world had little time, I thought, before the darkness overtakes it. The floors were splitting, sending tendrils of darkness up and manifesting into Shadows. _

"_Don't make me regret this." I spat over my shoulder, not deigning to glance at my once Brother. _

_I only heard a low chuckle behind me. _

_Once out, I bit back the pain as I ran towards her, slicing through several Shadows along the path. I could hear the triumphant beating of her strong heart. It sent shivers of relief down my spine, my every fiber alive and blazing._

_That's when the largest Shadow I had ever encountered stepped into my line of fire._

"Elexya." I snapped my eyes open, at once feeling the absence of her presence.

Leaping to my feet, I felt panic and fear flood her veins from a distance. I myself felt hysteria creep into my mind, as if I had the heart to panic with. Throwing on my coat, I dashed out the door and raced towards the Place Where Nothing Gathers.

_A flood of warmth filled me, and sobbing, there were low sobs echoing in my mind. I could feel my heart docking in a new source of heat. The beating was quick, swift and elegant. I could listen to its rhythm for all my life, well, if I indeed had a life to live._

_But the sobs became more persistent, gaining my full attention. I knew that voice, the one that spoke my name… my name… what was it again? I had only been dead a few minutes, still, everything was new to me._

"_I'm sorry Lea…" It mourned woefully. "I am so sorry!"_

_Elexya! And I was- Lea!_

_I longed to scream to her, to comfort her, to tell her I was here, I was here for her. I was hers'. _

_But I could not, I could only reside within her heart, feeling her every move. _

_And she was moving rather hastily. _

"_We'll be together…" I heard her speak solemnly. "In the next life."_

_Suddenly the reality hit me like a stone to the head. _

'_No!' I roared internally, my lungs no longer mine to own. _

_As the sharp tip of silver split down her beating heart, I felt my own thrust itself free. I was free, but wandering. As I watched, hovering in midair, a mere wisp of a heart, she crumpled to the floor in a heap of bloodstained white silk. _

_Like a bungee cord snapping me back, I was jerked towards my body, my old faithful vessel. As I melted back into my own chest, I felt a burst of heat rising from my fingertips to my toes. My eyes were open, my lungs springing to life once again. Like a wild animal, I pounced forwards. _

"_Elexya…" I muttered, pulling her into my arms, her lifeless head lolling onto my chest. _

_Her face was so innocent, full lips parted, hands, cold to the touch, still clutching the blood red rose I had given her. It literally broke my heart to watch her. _

_Her heart was so pure, herself a princess of Heart, she could never turn into the hideous monster I was previously. _

"_Such a pure thing…" I heard a raspy voice reach my ears, raspy and ravaged from battle. "The heart of a princess."_

"_Isa!" I snarled, watching as he twirled her crystal white heart in his fingertips across the hall from me. _

_With a nasty grin, he crushed it whole in his grip. I felt Elexya jerk in my arms. _

_With a fierce cry, I placed my entire being into one last attack, mentally sending a fleet of flames to burn him alive. But as he faded forever into darkness, I heard his low, sick laughter, echoing in my ears. _

_No, I thought numbly, it can't be…_

"Saix!" I cried, wheeling into the Place.

He stood, his face a mask of indifference, in his right hand he gripped Elexya below the jowl, lifting her several feet off the ground where she struggled.

Saix paused to give me a cursory glance. "Here to watch me tie up our loose ends, Lea?"

"Let her go!" I demanded passionately.

"Hmm…" Saix tightened his grip visibly as I took several steps forward. "Another step and she's gone, Lea."

I ground my teeth, my stomach so tight it ached. But none of this mattered. All the mattered in the worlds to me was in the clutches of my worst enemy. I would not lose her again.

_Tracing my fingers over my chest, I summoned my powers and felt fire ravage my insides. Gripping her tighter, I watched as her heart slowly faded, as my own beat, hot in my grip, slipping into her chest. _

_Yes, I thought, my mind slowly fading to darkness, this was right. This way she could be safe, until I could reach her again. But in order to give my heart, I had to take something. I could not take her eyes, nor her smile, nor her hair; I would need those to recognize her in the future. No, I would take these horrible memories as my own to bear. _

_This way she did not have to feel the pain of losing me, until we were finally together. My heart reached into her mind, clawing at her snarl of memories, wiping them clean as I plundered. They were my own now, as my heart was hers. Well, it always had been…_

**Elexya's POV:**

I struggled to breathe as Isa's grip tightened around my throat. I knew his icy touch anywhere. It was all rushing back to me so fast my head spun.

"_Lea!" I felt my lungs burst to life, gripping him excitedly as my vision blinked to existence again. _

_But his face was empty, blank as white ivory. _

"_No…" I begged. "Take it back, Lea! Take it back!"_

_I felt his heart beating within me. His very life source, he sacrificed to save me. _

_But as I awoke further, my vision began to blur again... Where was I? What was going on? Who was Lea? Who was I? What was that blinding light? That low whistle, gaining rhythm into a full blown scream? _

_The answers came in sharp fractions of light. _

_I was strewn across the floor of a train compartment, the sunset casting shadows upon me. Sitting up, I held my throbbing head as the train pulled into a station with a slow jerking motion, the wheels steaming to a screeching stop. _

_I barely had time to recount my name… El… Eyl… Ayl? Aylee?_

_That must have been it. Aylee. That was my name. _

_Someone was pounding on the train compartment door, and I rose to greet them. A woman, graying around the hair, but with a sweet looking face met me. Behind her stepped a young woman around my age, her bright golden eyes and sunny blonde hair catching my eyes._

"_Hello there." The older woman said slowly, as if not to frighten me. "I'm Rimina, and this is my grand-daughter-"_

"_Trixa!" She declared, stretching her lanky arm out to offer her hand. _

_I shrank back, terrified._

"_Oh…" Trixa cooed, stepping in and taking my hand anyways, her own was so much warmer than mine. "Don't be scared! We're friends. Or at least we will be. Where are you from? I've never seen this train before."_

"_I…" I regained my voice, staring down at myself. I was dressed in simple attire, a sky blue dress and white silk under shift. My feet were bare. "I'm Aylee… I think."_

"_Poor dear." Rimina walked me towards the front of the station, sunlight leaking in through glass double doors. "Must have bumped her head in there. No need to worry, though, we'll take good care of you, dear."_

"_Okay…" I nodded._

"_What a pretty necklace!" Trixa exclaimed, her voice liken to fragile porcelain plates crashing upon cold concrete. "Where'd you get it?"_

_Glancing down, I noticed that there was indeed a silver necklace round my neck. Its charm was a tangle of two hearts, each glittering brilliantly in the eerie twilight._

"_I… I'm not sure." I shrugged, apprehensive._

"_That's okay." Trixa soothed. "Welcome to Twilight Town, Aylee."_

"Ahhhhhh!" I roared, kicking with all my might, freeing myself from Saixs' death grip.

He sputtered and clutched his hands to his stomach where I had nailed him.

"Lea!" I cried out, everything crashing into me like the train I arrived in Twilight Town in. All the uncertain feelings in my heart, threatening to burst it, flooded back to me in articulate grace.

Tears welled in my eyes, clouding my vision. Lea was at my side, holding me back from Isa… Saix, as he was addressed now. But my grip on Lea was more possessive than his own upon me. I slung an arrow, my weapons at my sides, and aimed it at Saixs' forehead.

"Go ahead." Saix spat. "Kill me now. But-"

He was cut off by my roar of rage, icy cold filling my veins. Out of thin air, ice crystals overtook Saix, gripping his legs and working their way up to the crown of his head. I froze him in place.

"I… I can control ice." I spluttered, the heat in Lea's palms bringing me to reality.

Lea gripped me in his arms tight. "I thought I might lose you again."

But his words were distant to me, as if I were listening to him through a tunnel. As my memories began to reconnect, I knew my chapter here was through. My whole world was turning cold, but I welcomed it somehow.

"Lea," I spoke calmly, startling him, "I haven't much time…"

**Lea's POV:**

"What do you mean?" I demanded, gazing deeply into her glazing blue eyes.

"I… I'm fading into… into our next life…" She said with an iridescent smile, turning from cold to jubilant in small intervals. "I'm whole now… I have my memories… and when your part in this story here is over… Lea… you'll have your heart back… you'll have me back."

I held her close to my chest, feeling her heart, _my heart_, our heart, thundering against it. We were one in the same, yet not. Everything, our hearts, our memories, we shared them.

"But Isa…" I thought.

"I took his memories of my time here." She whispered into my ear. "You'll be safe."

"Don't leave me…" I pleaded, feeling her light presence beginning to dissipate.

"I won't." She eased my pain, kissing my brow, leaning up on the tips of her toes. "I'm always with you… Lea."

Through my closed eyes, as I captured her lips in mine, I saw her, mere shards of light, slipping past this world. She was so beautiful. It pained me with every move of my lips, but I kissed her until her body faded into the light.

"It was always yours…" I whispered to her, knowing she was already gone.

**A/N: So it ends! Or, not so much. I have another chapter or two to post, so this is not the "official" end. Please tell me what you think. I would have made Isa and Lea's battle scene a little more epic, but I wanted the focus to be on revealing the fact that Lea and Elexya both made sacrifices for one another. More to be posted soon. I think I have it all whittled down into a pre-epilogue and a epilogue. Hope you enjoyed!**

**P.R.**


	20. PreEpilogue

**A/N: Just to be clear, I wanted to straighten this all out, because it made my own head hurt just thinking about it. *Deep Breath* Okay- After the wedding fell through, Lea left Elexya to fight Isa. He fought Isa, but spared his life out of his pity for his fallen Brother (Not a smart move, btw). On his way back to Elexya he was stricken by a crazed heartless (which may or may not have been Isa, I leave that to you). While he lay there dying, Elexya saw his heartless and shot it, setting Lea's heart free (though she didn't know this) and when she embraced him, she took his heart with her. Then, when she killed herself (Or at least tried to, gosh, second time this STORY!) she set her own heart free as well as his. Lea's heart found his body while Elexya's was not so lucky. When they're hearts were together in Elexya, I like to think that they meshed a bit, so that when Isa crushed her heart, she still remained alive in Lea's. When Lea killed Isa (FINALLY!), he gave his heart to Elexya (cheesy/twisted pun) and took her memories to protect her from the pain of loss. You can explain the Twilight Town mystery train whichever way you wish. Personally, I made it so that Trixa was Cissa in her next life and since Cissa and Elexya were so close to one another, her heart was drawn to Cissa's, taking her to Twilight Town. I think I will give Royu a recurring role. That's all for now!**

Pre-Epilogue

**Elexya's POV:**

"Look! I think she's waking up!"

"Trixa, dear, give her some air please."

"But look!"

"I'm going to get some tea for her."

"Oh, Gramma!"

Groaning, I felt my body reassemble itself piece by piece. My head felt liken to a melon, split open along the side. I trembled as cold flooded my newly returned skin. My eyes felt weighted down by tremendous forces. Lifting my hands to them, I moaned aloud and felt warm hands overtake them. Lea? Could it be him?

"Aylee…" I heard Trixa's teary voice reach my sensitive ears.

I felt my mouth open, dry as cotton. "Trix…a. I'm back."

"Back?" I heard her laugh through her crying. "'Lee, you've only been sick for a few days. Thought we might lose you!"

"Sick?" I cracked my eyes open and immediately wished I hadn't. The light streaming through the windows of my bedroom above the shop was enough to burn my eyes out of the ir respective sockets.

"Duh." Trixa giggled, more tears. "You had a fever, and you kept saying things in your sleep like-"

I watched in wonder as Trixa drew a deep breath and tried her hand at imitating my dulcet voice. She wasn't half bad.

"Where's Lea?" She mimicked artfully. "Axel! Demyx- don't touch that!"

I giggled at her misconception of my time away. "Fever, huh? Who knows what was going through my head."

"Huh, you don't need a fever for me to wonder that!" Trixa snorted unbecomingly.

Taking a moment to soak the fact that I had my best friend back again, I flung myself into her arms and held on so tight I heard her gasp in pain.

"Easy there, Lee!" She squeaked and I laughed at her old nickname.

It felt so weird to know my true name, my true identity once again and see my next life in a whole new sense. Then again… did any of this happen? Really? What if it really was a mad dream? What if I had just a fever? No Lea? No Axel? No Demyx or Saix or anything?

Think, I pondered, how could I know for sure?

The box!

"Lee!?" Trixa called after me as I leapt out of bed, racing down the hall. "Where are you going?"

I didn't answer, my mind was reeling. I wheeled down the stairs and rushed to the front counter. There were a few tourists that stopped to gawk at the bed-headed madwoman who riffled furiously with abandon through the front desk, dressed in nothing but a thin white nightshift. Tearing through the shelves, I fought tears as they bubbled.

It wasn't there.

Tears of joy rolled down my face. It was real. All of it.

"Aylee?" Rimina called, carrying a tray of tea and sugar cookies out from the kitchen. "What is going on?"

I had a chance, I thought, he would come back to me. This was our life, our next life together.

"Nothing." I lied, turning and taking the tray from her to carry it up to my disgruntled friend. "Nothing at all."

**Axels' POV:**

I lay, my entire being spent. Waves of drowsiness swept over me but I fought back each one, knowing that there were still things to be said. My eyes threatened to roll back into my skull, but I had to remain conscious. I owed it to the kid.

"Axel!" Sora called, collapsing to his knees beside me. "You're… fading away…"

His face was plagued with concern, and I had to hand it to him, he had a big heart to forgive a rat like me.

"Well," I mused, gazing at the swirling kaleidoscope of color above me, "that's what happens when you put your whole being into an attack, y'know what I mean?"

Without pausing, I let out a wry laugh.

"Not that Nobodies actually HAVE beings… right?" I continued, wondering how much time I had left until the next life. "Anyway, I digress. Go, find Kairi."

I thought of the spunky young beauty. She reminded me of Elexya. Spirited and pure to the core. No wonder the young keyblade master cared for her.

"Oh," I piped up, "almost forgot. Sorry for what I did to her."

I wondered what Elexya would think of me if she knew I had kidnapped an innocent young girl in order to get Roxas back. What would she think of Roxas? I could imagine them hitting it off just great. The three of us would have been inseparable.

"When we find her, you can tell her that yourself." Sora said uneasily, searching my face with naivety, startling me from my reverie.

"Think I'll pass." I sighed, closing my eyes and feeling closer to Elexya with every stolen breath. "My heart just wouldn't be in it, y'know? Haven't got one."

I chuckled at my personal joke, knowing my heart was waiting for me elsewhere. It was funny, I had almost forgotten about her. Not willingly of course, she must have taken some of my memories, just to keep me on track here. I suppose that's why I was so drawn to Namine. She was a juggler of memories, and I was missing my dearest ones. If it weren't for being around her, I don't know what could have jogged my memory.

"Axel," Sora began, his voice soft with emotion, "what were you trying to do?"

"I wanted to see Roxas." I admitted truthfully, one of the only times I ever was. "He… was the only one I liked… He made me feel… like I had a heart…"

Like she was with me again, in a way, I thought. It was nice, to have a friend to laugh and have ice cream with. It wasn't the same feeling Elexya gave me, but I did feel strong emotions, friendship and loyalty, brotherhood, with Roxas.

"It's kind of… funny…" I went on, my breaths labored, my time growing ever short. "You make me feel… the same…"

I blinked and knew my time was up, my body, this empty vessel, could only take so much more. I had to do something for the kid.

"Kairi's in the Castle Dungeon." I relayed, my voice regaining solemnity. "Now go."

Summoning the last of my ability, I raised a hand lazily and produced my final dark portal. It sprang to life in a glowing orb of green and black. Elexya liked green.

"Axel…" Sora began woefully, sounding ever more like Roxas.

But I was already gone.


	21. Epilogue

**A/N: Oh boy, here it comes! The actual end. *Forces back tears*. Must keep writing, must keep writing…**

Epilogue

**(Years Later)**

"So what your saying is," Trixa tapped her chin twice in deep thought, "We were all together in our past lives, so that's why we're all together again now?"

"Precisely." I nodded, glancing to my right. "Roxas! I told you not to mess with that!"

My son, caught red handed, bashfully relinquished his grip on the candelabra, swinging back down the carpeted floor of the parlor, where he landed with an assassins' grace. His dark blue eyes were filled with childish mirth and his bright red spikes were beginning to fall into his face, they were so long. I would have taken him down myself, but alas I cradled his infant sister in my arms.

It had taken almost the entire day, but our story had been told. Trixa and her new husband, Yuro, had taken time off from their jobs in town to spend the day with my family in the old mansion, which we had fixed into our new home.

"But I don't understand," Yuro shook his head. "What ever happened to Roxas, Axel's friend?"

"We said our goodbyes." Axel explained, entering the room with his hands clasped around a plastic baby bottle. "We had a moment, before we had to go our separate ways. I guess that's the thing about hearts-"He glanced at me knowingly. "They have a way of finding each other again. Well, that is, Roxas and I didn't exactly _have _hearts at the time and all…"

"Thank you, Axel" I leaned up and kissed my husband on the smooth plane of his face, taking the bottle and letting our daughter suckle, "Cissa's been fussy all day."

Axel and I took to calling each other our former names when alone. To us, it seemed, our new names were a symbol of our new life. The life we fought for all along.

"How romantic…" Trixa sighed, leaning back in her seat. "Who knew you had a romantic bone in you, Aylee?"

I grinned, setting the bottle aside and patting Cissa on her back gently, eliciting a small belch from the tiny baby. Her glassy emerald eyes gazed up at me playfully, just like Lea's…

"Why did you wait so long to tell me?" Trixa asked.

I smiled and watched Cissa try fruitlessly to remain awake, her lovely green eyes slipping close. "Well, we had to wait until you found Royu again. It wouldn't be very fair to tell you your true love was right under your nose, now would it?"

We all chuckled as Trixa flushed. It was apparent that she had had to slum around with some serious frogs before finding Yuro. All those years he had been hanging around Rimina's shop, waiting for the girl with the pretty golden eyes and tawny hair to wake up and realize he adored her.

"Dad!" Roxas cried, breaking the silence by heaving himself into his father's legs, for that was how short he still was.

With a fictitious roar, Lea swung his son up over his shoulders so the little fire headed boy could ride them. Grabbing fistfuls of his father's hair, Roxas beat his little heels into Lea's torso until his father paraded him around the room like a prized stallion.

Kissing the patch of dark peach fuzz sprouting atop my daughter's head, I breathed in the scent of cinnamon and fire that clung to every room in our house. This was my life now, and I had waited nearly two lifetimes for it. Staring deeply into Lea's emerald eyes, his face twisted into an impish grin, and felt our heart racing.

When Trixa and Yuro said their goodbyes, after the children were tucked in and sound asleep, a strenuous task when it came to our son, Lea and I stole away to the front yard. Among splashes of pale moonlight splayed across wild grasses and blue star creeper, we grew throngs of rosebushes of all colors. My favorites, however, would always be the ruby reds.

Pausing to sniff a delicate, new blooming white, I glanced up to find a luscious red held out to me in pale, gloveless hands.

"Elexya…" Lea breathed, sidling up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist, his nose nuzzling the skin between my neck and shoulders. "The Agile Guardian of my heart."

"Will you ever miss it, Lea?" I asked, taking the rose and tracing the edges of the petals with my fingertips, leaving tiny intricate patterns of frost in their wake.

"What?" He asked, turning me and pulling me close in his thermal arms.

I raised a cool hand to his searing cheek. "The Organization, the freedom-"

He silenced me with a warm, smooth kiss, leaving me breathless and clutching at him with my free hand.

"This is my life now." He said, his voice low and rumbling. "You, Roxas, Cissa. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the worlds."

"Promise?" I gazed into his pure green eyes, pausing to speak between fervent kisses.

He grinned held me at arms' length. Tracing a small X from above my collar bone to just above my breast, he leaned his forehead against mine and I smelled sweet spices on his breath.

"Cross my heart."

**A/N: Hope it was enjoyable and not too cheesy. Due to a threat to my life, apparently, I mentioned the final goodbyes of Roxas and Axel as best I could. I knew this moment was coming, but still it kills me to end this story. Sadly, I believe that sequels ruin stories, so as of late I have no ambition to continue this. Again, I hope you have enjoyed it all. Please leave a review if you can and I leave you only with the promise that I will never, ever quit writing. **

**With a heavy heart,**

**Phoenix Rising**


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